How good is the social life at SOAS?

Honestly.

I want to apply there because I really like the degree they offer (international management in mid east + north africa) and I love the fact that I can learn a language as part of my degree.
The only thing putting me off is the incredibly small size of the university. My 6th form is pretty small and that's the only thing I dislike. Will SOAS be any different from this?
If i'm spending 3-4 years as part of the institution I want to enjoy it and meet lots of people and make as many friends as I can - soas seems like a pretty rubbish place for that.

Hello @aam1na ! Its such a delight to hear that you're interested in attending SOAS! That department is ranked 4th out of 116 schools in the UK so you'll definitely be in good hands.

Yes, compared to other unis which accepts 20 thousand plus students a year, we are small, but that just means you'll be part of an interactive and integrated community here at SOAS. With just over 5,000 students, we consider ourselves a family. Your home away from home to be cliche. Coming from your 6th form, it'll be a bit bigger but definitely not overwhelming to the point where you'll feel like just 'another student.' That's the charm about SOAS, if I may say so myself!!

Our student union has over 160 societies and always have events going on every day of the week. So whether you fancy something sporty, cultural, historic, active, or just calm and relaxing, SOAS has it all. You'll definitely meet lots of people and make lifelong friends from all over the world -- which is a pretty cool thing to have, especially when you need a place to stay when you go on vacation --

I hope my words are reassuring but if not, why not come down and visit us! Have you been to one of our open days yet?

~ Mike

Heyy! Thank you for your reply.

I like the high number of societies that's very reassuring.

I have actually been to two schools and the previous one I went to was incredibly massive and I loved the huge number of people.

I went to the undergraduate fair and spoke to the soas representative and got a short tour around part of the campus. But I will be attending the undergrad fair on the 21st so hopefully I'll get to see the university whilst it's actually full of students !

Hey mike!

I remember going to the undergraduate fair hosted at the university of London in September, I don't remember the lady I spoke to at the soas stall but I remember being toured around the campus by a student called Bilal.

I like the numbers for class sizes they're fairly big but they're not too small so I think it may just be the right balance.

Thanks!

@SOAS Student Helper Hi, I have been offered a place to study MA History at SOAS in 2016. I am really excited but a little anxious too. I know its the right place for me to go, as I would like to continue studying global languages and history and hopefully get into a PhD program. Also it is central London so the opportunities will be fantastic. But obviously, with it costing so much money I am worried.

Also I finished my BA in 2013, and I'm certain that SOAS is at a much higher standard than my Undergraduate university. On top of that I have been living in East Asia for two year. I am concerned that when I arrive back in the UK to study I will spend a good month in hell as I try to find my feet again and to a high quality.
How do I hit the ground running when it comes to starting? Is there anything I could do now, or know now?
Also what is the average age and class sizes of a MA. And what is the Career services like for Master's students. At my undergrad Uni I spent a lot of time there building rapport. I would find that beneficial again.

Thanks.

Helloooo!

That's awesome that you spend two years in East Asia. I can only imagine how much you have grown, experience and loved life since out there. We're glad you've decided to return 'home.'

We have quite a few students this year and last year who have gone off to travel and see the world and return. There's bound to be a few people in your cohort who have done something similar to you. Whether that going off to work for a few years and coming back to do their masters, or if that was going off to explore the world and coming back. You definitely won't be alone. However, if you do, we introduced a New Student Scheme which has worked to perfection this year. This idea was that this would be a transition scheme, but has involved into a support group and those who have participated in it both UG and PG students, have been quite happy with the results and outcomes.

Doing a masters, is much more difficult than a UG, and majority takes a few weeks to adjust to the workload etc. It's all part of being a PG student. If you didn't struggle at first than that means we aren't pushing you hard enough. There's a method to our madness! Trust me! By throwing different obstacles and events and things at you, we're helping to prepare you to be able to manage loads in the world, develop new skills, acquire knowledge to attack problems in different ways and in different points of views, be introduced to a holistic perspective of our industry, gain knowledge of the global economy and develop a worldly view. The list goes on and on.

As for preparing yourself now?

I'd suggest improving your writing. For grad school writing is the most important skill to develop. One book I'd recommend from my personal opinion, is George Orwell's 'Politics and the English Language.' Although English is my first language, the little nuisances and things I picked up by reading this book helped me to graduate top of the class and I know others who this have helped immensely.

Do you know another language? If so, great! I'd try and improve it as much as possible. If not, then look up some of the languages SOAS teaches and see if you can self-teach yourself now so you can pick it up when you get here. A language can be so useful for later on in life and I'm assuming if you combine it with History, then you'll practically be unstoppable

I'd brush up and make sure you have a good grounding in the development of Western thought - especially if you plan on specialising in a specific region. Philosophy / political theory courses that are historically based are a good addition to have in your repertoire.

Careers:

It's never too early to start thinking about that. Sure, good grades are important but keep the end goal in mind. Where would you like to end up working or specialising in? Think about what you want to achieve and mold your modules and your dissertation around that. Modules that gives you exposure to specific areas you'd like to cover / write your dissertation about will help you progress in your career.

Building rapport of your esteemed professors is important as they're likely to give you a letter of recommendation if warrented, however, don't forget about your colleagues and classmates. Your peers are the ones who will be progressing with you up the corporate ladder and you never know if you might need them later on in life for a favour, a collaboration for a journal article or if your car ever breaks down lol.

Sorry, that was a lot of information, but I hope everything made sense and was helpful. If I failed to answer anything or you have any more questions, comments or concerns, don't hesitate to @ me!

~Mike

Hi thanks for your lengthy reply! Yes I will be in overdrive in the first few weeks trying to get up to speed and doing lots of extra work. I will actually be commuting into London everyday though, (from just outside in a satellite town) so I hope that doesn't end up a bad decision.

Yes I certainly have to improve my writing. It was probably below par in my Undergraduate degree too. I have been living in south Korea and working in Elementary schools for the Ministry of Korean Education. However teaching English at elementary school in Asia does not improve English. It simplifies my English massively so I may spend a good week sounding 'dumb'. If that makes sense.

I am learning Korean, although only self taught but I expect it to be up to intermediate standards by the time the MA starts in 2016. I also hope by then to have learnt some very basic Japanese and Mandarin. It's not possible to pick up all these languages alongside my MA as that is study suicide, but I will want to try as much as possible.

Yes about colleagues, how big are master programmes at SOAS? I assume they are relatively small due to size of the Uni, but is there information on previous years attendance for MA History? Also I know people come from all over the world, but what is the demographics for that specific course?

I may also visit the University a week or so before enrollment, could I check out the whole university in order to have a head start and not get lost.

Thanks, A fellow Mike.

Haha Mike is definitely a good name!

We have a language entitlement programme where you can take a language for one term for free. So if you don't get the opportunity to learn a Japanese or Mandarin, there's always a chance to learn it with us for a term and then if you find yourself loving the course, then you can go and continue it for a small fee with our language centre. This is a popular option with a lot of our students.

It's also possible to switch from the MA History to the MA History and Intensive Language where you combine History with either Arabic, Korean, or Japanese. I think this might be a better option for you. It is a 2 year programme however. So, if you're worried about the workload then this will spread it out over two years and give you a chance to acclimate, assimilate and then thrive in the classroom environment once again.

To move from MA History to MA history and Intensive Language (Korean) for example, all you would need to do is send an email to the admission office asking to be moved. They'll look again at your application and assess if your suitability. It'll be a fairly quick assessment as you're not moving from MA History to a completely different topic.

Sometimes a return back to the basics is what you need in order to excel!

Unfortunately, I'm unaware of the exact figures or demographics as it differs from year to year and course to course but it is relatively small which means you would have more one on one attention. Some of our biggest lecture style classes are roughly 50-60 students and that's on the undergraduate level so I highly doubt you'll be in classes with more than 30 students. We have over 160 countries represented at SOAS. I'd bet a lot of money your class will be diverse! Which helps with gaining a perspective of history, cultures, religion and feelings from around the world.

~Mike

That language program sounds great, just a shame it's only one language at a time haha! I'm not entirely sure about changing the course im on (although only horizontally) but do you know the deadline to change?
I'm glad to hear of the small class sizes. It should benefit us.
I wondered if I should email the course convenor and ask for advice on how to prepare myself/any questions about the course specifically.
Also this a strange question, but how late do classes run, including evening classes. (I would be commuting home).

Thanks for all your help so far Mike,

Mike.

The deadline to apply/switch is June 30th. But of course, the sooner the better as each programme only has a limited amount of spots. I'm sure they'll be able to accommodate one more but better safe than sorry. Give it some thought over the next few weeks and then come back after the break and make a decision. no rush!

Classes vary. It all kinds of depends on which programme you select and the timetabling. Either way, as a PG student, it is advised that you spend a lot of time in the library, reading, studying, facebooking lol. jk. But on days that you have late classes (I assume the latest finishes around 8-9pm) you might have 3 hours or 7 hours of free time in between classes in order to study. When I did my masters, I had class at 11am and then again at 6pm. I used that time in between to eat, lounge around, study, go to the gym etc. and then as soon as class finished at 8pm. Put in another 90mins in the library and after that drove a hour home. Long days, but it was worth it in the end and it teaches you a lot of intangibles that life sometimes doesn't prepare you for.

If you would like to email the course convenor, go for it. I'm sure she'll be more than happy to help you!

I hope this helps!

~Mike

Unlikely I will change that then haha. Yes I assumed I will either be living in the library or some kind of study room for a year, they may have to charge me rent!

What did you study? What is your actual role at the University now?
Also wondering, and finally on topic for this thread, what the social life and atmosphere is at SOAS? Including the gym etc. I am unlikely to have social life hours, but its still good to know I could be doing some procrastination from time to time. I have also seen a few negative comments about the University atmosphere, only on this site mind you, and while literally all of them are several years ago so too long ago to really consider and one guy at least is bitter and has a strong agenda, it still does impact the mind a little.
Obviously you are meant to be 100% enthusiastic but can you tell me how the University has improved recently, in what ways and if it is continuing to improve?

Mike

Everybody always asks me what I do... I prefer being mysterious muhahahah. Just call me batman

The social life is active. There's a lot of events going on all the time. Some are promoted exceptionally well and then others not so much. It all kind of depends on the person and the committee running the group. It's important to keep abreast by keeping your eyes and ears open for everything. There's pamphlets and leaflets placed all over the university advertising certain events and of course, social media if you follow the careers service, your department, the SU and the corporate channels etc. then you wont miss a thing.

It's a very specialised university so you'll have your typical parties and Friday night fun in the SU bar etc. but then there will be seminars, talks, and other academic related events with things to your degree and across several different topics. I suggest going and seeing as many as you can.

Don't be surprised to see activism on our campus. Our politics and International relations department is ranked 35th in the world, so you will see some now and then.

The nice thing about going to University of London, is that you can use the facilities of the different universities. Many of our students spends one or two days a week at the surrounding universities and go to their gym or eat at their canteen. It's a nice change of pace.

I think I know who you are referring to. The bad thing about forums is that those who comment are usually the ones who haven't had an ideal experience. This can be because of not getting the grades they want, arguing with fellow classmates etc. you'll hardly find anybody who have had a great time somewhere, go back and speak nice things. That's just the way forums works. Unfortunately, I believe that's the case here. We aren't a perfect universities, we know that, and it's unfortunate that not everyone can have a great time here. It's a shame we are unable to reach out to him/her and if we could, then I would do everything in my power to help him.

Back in the day, we were living in the dark ages. We hadn't quite gotten up to speed with technology, we were a bit understaffed etc. We have come up a long way since then. Our systems are a lot newer, and we support a go green agenda now. Our computers are newer. We have increased the number of staff to be in proportion to the number of students, so we can alleviate some of the problems students were facing. Obviously, there's some we can still fix and work on, but the structure is in place to move forward and we are optimistic. You're coming in at an exciting time. We will be moving into a new building which will bring all of our support staff and services to one campus, we are celebrating our 100th birthday, we have a new director and we are ushering in a new beginning and a new start to make sure SOAS is a top university not just for the next 5 or 10 years but for the next 100 years and beyond!

~Mike

That is great to hear. I certainly hope to be involved in the next 5 years or even further. Actually I am not too swayed by negative thoughts especially the ones who say it is dropping down the tables. Actually I know one professor who now works at SOAS and he has worked at many many places, in a few countries, even Oxford for three years. And he rates SOAS highly and up there with the best of them.

Just wondering if SOAS has their own gym and what facilities does it have? Also what facilities will the new building have and when does it open? Also what University campuses are near by and how easy is it to navigate them?

Mike.

That's awesome. Which professor is that?!

We do, but with all the upgrades and money spent on other parts of the university, unfortunately, we haven't spent nearly as much resources on it. Hopefully it will get better going forward.

The new facilities will have the following:

State-of-the-art learning and teaching

Creation of social learning spaces. These creative areas will be in the new campus and provide welcoming, flexible spaces for people to meet, discuss ideas in an informal setting. These areas will complement the state-of-the-art formal learning environments such as lecture theatres and seminar rooms.

There will be a mixture of teaching spaces, breakout space, academic offices and open plan office space.

The atrium that will become a dynamic student social and learning hub, covered by a free standing glass roof, will provide natural light and ventilation that will help to keep running costs and energy consumption low. Other design features include a rainwater harvester that collects water from the glass roof and stores it for use in flushing the building’s toilets;

Student services are currently located in two separate locations. Key departments such Registry - including fees, scholarships, exams - Student Advice and Wellbeing and the Cashiers office will now be moved to the new building and help create one central location

For some pictures on what the final project will look like, click here.

The nearest universities around us will be Birbeck, UCL, LSE, Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, as well as some international universities that have campuses in London such as Florida State University, and Syracuse University. They are all within walking distance. The furthers is approx 20-25 minutes away and the closest is a 20 second walk to Birbeck.

~Mike

Professor Ian Inkster. He hasn't been there long I don't think. The new place looks great, when is it officially opening?

And it sounds like the area is a very big Univeristy one haha. Do all of those (minus the international) belong to the University of London?

Do you know how much the SOAS gym may cost?

It'll be opening in July 2016 tentatively. Of course, knowing London weather, there's always a potential that excessive rain, snow etc. might delay it.

It consist of 18 colleges, 10 research institutes and a variet of different associations. There's over 110k students spread out across all of its members but SOAS has only roughly 5,000-6,000 students.

I unfortunately, I do not know how much it cost.

~Mike