I got into all the top notch schools.. now which one do I choose!? HELP! Please :)

Hi!

I'm new to this forum so I am not quite sure if this is in the right category; however, I do need a bit of help! I have done my fair share of research concerning ALL of these universities, and, well... they're all great! Now I am having a bit of trouble deciding which one to go to. I love each and every program and what it has to offer. I am from New York and am unfamiliar with England/London, so any advice would be welcomed

Alright, so... about me: I am an American (female) student who has applied and got accepted to the following programs (in no particular order):

University of Edinburgh - MSc International Relations of the Middle East with Arabic (2 Years)
UCL - MSc Global Governance and Ethics
King's College - MA Middle Eastern & Mediterranean Studies
SOAS - MSc Middle Eastern Politics

Now, I'm very interested in Middle Eastern Politics and affairs if you couldn't tell. I'm also big into International Relations and Diplomacy as well. I hope to enter the field of either academia or diplomacy. Ideally, I would like to work abroad. I'm not opposed to the NGO track, either; however, I definitely (probably) will be returning to the US for quite some time after my studies.

Any info on the pros and cons of each school would be great - mainly its reputation, prestige, etc. and which offer YOU personally would take! Like I said, all programs appeal to me and I am having a difficult time settling on just one! I will say, though, that I am leaning a bit towards SOAS...

Please help me out

I really, really appreciate it!

Reply 1

StretfordEnd

15

I would say the Edinburgh one probably looks better than it is - The Arabic makes it look fantastic but, realistically, you will not be fluent in Arabic after 2 years especially if you are splitting your time with IR.

In your shoes, I'd opt for SOAS. UCL is obviously a great Uni but their expertise (I believe) is in Eastern European politics. If the Middle East is what interests you I'd definitely go for SOAS on the basis that it has a worldwide reputation for excellent in terms of the Middle East; plus you're in London!

Reply 2

Cybele

14

Edinburgh, because I wouldn't want to live in London.

Reply 3

cheesebelly

OP

2

Original post by StretfordEnd

I would say the Edinburgh one probably looks better than it is - The Arabic makes it look fantastic but, realistically, you will not be fluent in Arabic after 2 years especially if you are splitting your time with IR.

In your shoes, I'd opt for SOAS. UCL is obviously a great Uni but their expertise (I believe) is in Eastern European politics. If the Middle East is what interests you I'd definitely go for SOAS on the basis that it has a worldwide reputation for excellent in terms of the Middle East; plus you're in London!

Thank you! This was very helpful. I'm just a bit concerned about SOAS' reputation... I've heard wonderful things and I've heard not-so-great things. Is it really that prestigious in this field as "they" say it is? Someone told me to do KCL over SOAS, but I'm not so sure! Someone also that I know in London has never heard of SOAS and that also worries me. But maybe it is just so specialized and people really in that field only know of it?

Reply 4

StretfordEnd

15

Original post by cheesebelly

Thank you! This was very helpful. I'm just a bit concerned about SOAS' reputation... I've heard wonderful things and I've heard not-so-great things. Is it really that prestigious in this field as "they" say it is? Someone told me to do KCL over SOAS, but I'm not so sure! Someone also that I know in London has never heard of SOAS and that also worries me. But maybe it is just so specialized and people really in that field only know of it?

A friend of mine made (what I thought) was quite a good comparison with LSE. If you're studying say...Medicine, or physics (as 2 random examples) it's entirely possible you wouldn't be aware of the school's incredible reputation in the social sciences (particularly economics/politics).

Similarly, unless the middle east/africa/south asia were areas of personal interest, it's entirely possible you wouldn't be aware of SOAS's reputation or even the Uni itself.

Someone living in London and them not knowing SOAS isn't something that would worry me tbh. As a random example, Chatham House is one of the most respected foreign policy think tanks in the world; but what percentage of London's 9million inhabitants would know what it was?

In addition to the courses themselves, have you looked at the profiles of the academic staff and researched what their specific areas of research are? That might help!

UCL.

OP

Original post by Lyrical Prodigy

UCL.

Why?

Do they have a good/reputable Global Governance Program?

Reply 7

Lyrical Prodigy

19

Original post by cheesebelly

Why?

Do they have a good/reputable Global Governance Program?

They probably would but I mean when someone mentions UCL the other person doesn't just go "Oh you mean that University that has a good global governance program?" Haha :smile:

What I mean is that UCL is a excellent globally recognised university and it's quite prestigious. It's in the heart of the world renowned city of London, a lot of people around the world would dream to study in London! I'm being holistically subjective here but UCL is what I would pick out of your options :biggrin:

Reply 8

Little Jules

12

Generally, I'd say the London ones have a better global reputation. But they are all quite different courses, and all good, so you might want to think about the course structure and which sounds more interesting. Also might be worth thinking about whether there's one individual supervisor at one of the unis that you would like to work with.

Reply 9

92DL

If I were in your position I would go for UCL, Kings, SOAS in that order.

Even tho UCL's focus is on Eastern Europe, it has an excellent reputation which is unbeatable. I am unsure where you want to practise but UCL is known worldwide while Kings and SOAS are known to a lesser extent.

On the other hand, Edinburgh is not a bad choice either especially considering the living cost which will be waaaaay cheaper.

Congrats anyways :smile:

Reply 10

kkhalas

3

Original post by cheesebelly

Hi!

I'm new to this forum so I am not quite sure if this is in the right category; however, I do need a bit of help! I have done my fair share of research concerning ALL of these universities, and, well... they're all great! Now I am having a bit of trouble deciding which one to go to. I love each and every program and what it has to offer. I am from New York and am unfamiliar with England/London, so any advice would be welcomed

Alright, so... about me: I am an American (female) student who has applied and got accepted to the following programs (in no particular order):

University of Edinburgh - MSc International Relations of the Middle East with Arabic (2 Years)
UCL - MSc Global Governance and Ethics
King's College - MA Middle Eastern & Mediterranean Studies
SOAS - MSc Middle Eastern Politics

Now, I'm very interested in Middle Eastern Politics and affairs if you couldn't tell. I'm also big into International Relations and Diplomacy as well. I hope to enter the field of either academia or diplomacy. Ideally, I would like to work abroad. I'm not opposed to the NGO track, either; however, I definitely (probably) will be returning to the US for quite some time after my studies.

Any info on the pros and cons of each school would be great - mainly its reputation, prestige, etc. and which offer YOU personally would take! Like I said, all programs appeal to me and I am having a difficult time settling on just one! I will say, though, that I am leaning a bit towards SOAS...

Please help me out

I really, really appreciate it!

hey! congrats on getting such great offers. im actually a prospective applicant at UCL for global governance and ethics program for the year 2019. id be forever grateful if you could share your ps with me in private or even give me some tips on what to include in the ps. im really struggling. thanks alot

I got into all the top notch schools.. now which one do I choose!? HELP! Please :)

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