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SOAS or Warwick + NTU

Hi!

I'm from the Netherlands, coming to England coming Fall to start my masters. I have been accepted to several programs, and have been able to narrow my choices down to two (MA/PGDip International Studies and Diplomacy at SOAS or Politics and International Studies Double Degree of University of Warwick and Nanyang Technological University), however it's almost impossible for me to choose which one is better so I was hoping you guys could perhaps help me with this.

What university is better for International Relations, SOAS or Warwick? Also, is Warwick not incredibly boring to study at as it's a small town?
And are dual degrees better for your cv, as you're studying at two good universities?

Thank you!
Reply 1
Avatar for jelly1000
jelly1000
21
Original post by liekedoll
Hi!

I'm from the Netherlands, coming to England coming Fall to start my masters. I have been accepted to several programs, and have been able to narrow my choices down to two (MA/PGDip International Studies and Diplomacy at SOAS or Politics and International Studies Double Degree of University of Warwick and Nanyang Technological University), however it's almost impossible for me to choose which one is better so I was hoping you guys could perhaps help me with this.

What university is better for International Relations, SOAS or Warwick? Also, is Warwick not incredibly boring to study at as it's a small town?
And are dual degrees better for your cv, as you're studying at two good universities?

Thank you!


firstly your title is a little confusing as NTU stands for Nottingham Trent University in the UK which isn't so prestigious.

SOAS is known for its focus on Middle Eastern and African studies so really you should be looking at if that area interests you. If so then SOAS is the best place to study it, if not then Warwick.
Reply 2
Avatar for Mr. Roxas
Mr. Roxas
9
Original post by jelly1000
firstly your title is a little confusing as NTU stands for Nottingham Trent University in the UK which isn't so prestigious.

SOAS is known for its focus on Middle Eastern and African studies so really you should be looking at if that area interests you. If so then SOAS is the best place to study it, if not then Warwick.


The OP was talking about this program -- http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/pais/studymasters/ntu/

As you can see, it is in partnership with Nanyang Technological University in Singapore.

I think that is the superior program, bar none.

You get to have a taste of both worlds - Europe and Asia. What could be better than that!
(edited 10 years ago)
Reply 3
Avatar for jelly1000
jelly1000
21
Original post by Mr. Roxas
The OP was talking about this program -- http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/pais/studymasters/ntu/

As you can see, it is in partnership with Nanyang Technological University in Singapore.

I think that is the superior program, bar none.

You get to have a taste of both worlds - Europe and Asia. What could be better than that!


I realised that upon seeing the thread but many people wouldn't.
Reply 4
Avatar for grt
grt
14
Interesting.

I've actually held offers for both degrees as well. I eventually chose The Warwick-NTU programme as I had studied at SOAS for my undergrad degree and have had a strong Asian focus. Hence, I had the option to not only study about Asia but also to live there for a while (albeit the fact that Singapore is not really that "Asian").

I think there are three key differences to focus on when making a decision:
a) content: If you're interested in Africa (and partially the Middle East), go to SOAS. If it's Asia, you have to choose between the leading university for Asian studies in the UK (SOAS) and the option of spending one year in Singapore where you can focus especially on Southeast Asia in much more detail (but also China and South Asia).

b) price and length: the SOAS degree is significantly cheaper but also lasts for one year only. Do you precisely know what you want to do afterwards? Or do you want more time to make up your mind?

c) lifestyle: At SOAS, you're part of an alternative crowd of students in a microcosm in the centre of London. Many opportunities, much distraction, and endless options of spending (and wasting) your time there. Warwick and NTU are campus universities which is even more so true for NTU. At Warwick, if you live on campus, you stay on campus. It's all a bit more relaxed, slower and, to me, more convenient than crowded London. If you want to party hard or have some social life every day beyond the library or cafes, go and live in Leamington Spa. However, you'd then have to commute to the campus with about 30 min bus rides. For NTU, there are basically two options: getting a place on campus which is preferable as you'll have to be at RSIS most days every week. However, the NTU campus is at the Western edge of Singapore and you will take 50-80 minutes to get to the city centre with public transport. Thus, you could try to find a place to stay somewhere between the campus and the city centre, but this would be significantly more expensive and you might get annoyed by having to commute to NTU several days a week (I chose to live on campus and spent the saved rent on taxis. It takes about 30 min to the city centre if it's not during rush hour and costs roughly £15). Have a look at your favourite online map and try to get an idea how Warwick and NTU but also SOAS are located.

Feel free to ask for more details here or send me a pm directly.

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