Any questions about soas?

Hello,
How hard is it to swap or alter the courses after you have started university if you don't like the course? I have a conditional for politics but thinking of politics and social anthropology, I emailed them and they said they'd consider it and they might ask for a new personal statement but I don't know if I should wait for results or do it now.
Thank you!!

Hey!


Oohh registration system ... I couldn't give you a very accurate answer but Im pretty sure its closer to the enrolment date, possibly a couple of weeks before which is about a month from now - although I could have completely made that up!

In terms of clashes, its probably a good thing to note that, unlike college where you would probably have about 20 hours of class a week, at Soas (doing a non-language degree) would probably schedule you in for about 8-10 hours a week. Which, as you can imagine, gives you a lot of free time but also means that its unlikely you will get a clash, particularly in the first year. Also the timetabling system does try to ensure as few clashes as possible when allocating lecture/tutorial slots.

I hope that helps and let me know anything else!

Are you speaking from experience as a current SOAS student? What language/s are you taking?

Hi,

Don't panic! Lots of people decide to change their courses slightly and most universities offer students a chance to change a couple of weeks into term. Considering you've got the minimum requirements for it, they may just change you immediately through the system, or might require you to have a mini interview with the course convenor. If the course is oversubscribed you may not be able to do it, but go along with what the admin are saying now and if they ask for a new personal statement, well it wouldn't hurt.

Hey!


Oohh registration system ... I couldn't give you a very accurate answer but Im pretty sure its closer to the enrolment date, possibly a couple of weeks before which is about a month from now - although I could have completely made that up!

In terms of clashes, its probably a good thing to note that, unlike college where you would probably have about 20 hours of class a week, at Soas (doing a non-language degree) would probably schedule you in for about 8-10 hours a week. Which, as you can imagine, gives you a lot of free time but also means that its unlikely you will get a clash, particularly in the first year. Also the timetabling system does try to ensure as few clashes as possible when allocating lecture/tutorial slots.

I hope that helps and let me know anything else!

Hi, I am speaking from experience, as l am studying Japanese at Soas.
I've had clashes every year of my course, so far. However, the lecturers are aware of this and, l must admit, they have all been really helpful, with their time and consideration, when it comes to catching up.

Hey,

1) What are the minimum requirements for your course?
2) Can I assume that you have received you A level grades?

Hi,

SOAS is fantastic when it comes to studying languages because, even if it is not in any way related to your course, it offers evening classes to each SOAS student to learn another language. If Mandarin is a part of this system (which it most likely is) you will have the opportunity to learn it.

Hi,

Don't panic! Lots of people decide to change their courses slightly and most universities offer students a chance to change a couple of weeks into term. Considering you've got the minimum requirements for it, they may just change you immediately through the system, or might require you to have a mini interview with the course convenor. If the course is oversubscribed you may not be able to do it, but go along with what the admin are saying now and if they ask for a new personal statement, well it wouldn't hurt.

AAB with B in GCSE maths.
i have. except for the B in maths, i have a C.

Thanks!
By the way, I also would like to know, do you have many Russian students in SOAS if any?

What is the next most popular accommodation for SOAS students after Dinwiddy House? I didn't want to live out a few months ago but now I really want to, but I don't think that there will be any spaces left at Dinwiddy House, so I need an alternative.

If you are not planning on staying at Dinwiddy house; personally, l don't blame you, there are quite a few alternative options open to you. But, you better get your skates on, as the start of term is approaching rapidly and accommodation gets taken up very quickly in London. However, here is a list of alternative types of accommodation available for you.

You can choose from the following accommodation options:


I have been using www.spareroom.co.uk
i have found all my accommodation through this website. I like the fact that you can specify a particular area and within a certain budget.
Rooms in and around zone 1 range from an absolute dump for about 80 quid a week, to a fairly decent sized room in a house share for about 550 quid a month. If you live further out than zone 2, you will have to consider commuting cost as well as travelling times, which can be a bloody pain in the backside, when London Transport decide to go on strike, the very same day you have an exam. Also, there is Gum-Tree. A lot of my friends have found really decent places on there. If you're not very fussy person, then think about the Guardian Scheme, as l know some students, who live really close to Uni. Where they are living might not be to everyone's taste, but considering they are living in central London for less than 100 pounds a week, all in, it's at least worth a little investigation.
Also, don't be afraid to ask people around you. Soas has a very tight nit student body, and there is always someone who knows someone who's has a spare room, who is looking for someone to fill it.
Hope that's useful for you?

In that case, would you mind me asking some questions about the course? I have a lot, and of course it's fine if you don't want to answer anything.

- Will you be starting third year or fourth year, and which Japanese university did you get into?I have just completed my the fourth year of my BA Japanese Degree.

- Are you an international student or from the UK?
I am a home student (UK)

- Did you find Aspects of Japanese Culture to be difficult? I'd especially like to know how difficult the written exams were and what the grading was like?
There were aspects of the course that were really bloody interesting, l was really pissed of that the class ended, what seemed like, so bloody quickly and them, aspects of the course that were so bloody boring, l had to take match sticks in with me to keep my eyes open, followed by heavy shots of expresso afterwards, to wake myself up for my next lecture. But what was really interesting about A of J C was the variety of teaching we had. We had, on several occasion, visiting lecturers, PHD students studying about Japan, as well as Haiku and Waka lessons, we watch films, play and videos. I remember watching a film called 耳なし芳一　（みみ　なし　ほういち）(mimi nashi houichi) a famous film about a blind Biwa player, who had his ears pulled off by a ghostly samurai, who was so haunted by the blind Biwa's playing, he tried to capture the blind Biwa player, but could not see him, because a priest had painted his naked body with a prayer, but had forgotten to paint his ears. so when the ghostly samurai come searching for the blind Biwa player again, all he could see was the ears of the blind Biwa player, so the ghostly samurai ripped them off. I still remember this film, vividly today, some 4 years later.
At the very least, the class gives you a very good grounding in Japanese history. A word of advice, READ 'The Tale of Genji' before coming to Soas or at least, get a good grounding in what the story is about, because there is always an essay question on the book, which, if you do not already know, is considered to be the first novel ever written by Murasaki Shikibu. You will be asked to write an essay in connection with the novel, so squat up on it.

The written exams will simply reflect the amount of hours of study you put in. The more you do, the easier they will be: the less you do the harder they will be. But, practise, practise, practise, practise, practise, practise and then, parctise some more Kanji. The more you know, the easier exams will be, is my advice.

I found the teacher would rather mark you up than mark you down, in my opinion.


- As far as clashes, how serious were they? Are you saying you ended up having to play catch up because you missed classes due to the scheduling clashes?
Not very serious, but yes, if you arrive late to a class, because of a clash, you are going to have to play catch up. That goes without saying. But, like l said, the teachers are understanding of the issue and will help you if you ask for it. There are many open tutorial periods to help with this issue.


Was it because they scheduled you for different classes that took place at the same time, or because you had classes in different buildings?
For bothe reasons really.

- Would you mind telling me what grades you've been getting? I thoroughly understand if it's too personal!

You will find studying a language that it is very difficult keeping your grades consistent. As with all languages, you will find you excel in one area, but lag behind in another. For me, l excelled in listening and speaking. So, whenever there whenever there was a presentation to give, in Japanese, l would always do really well. The same would go for aural exams and listening exams. But, l would not do so well in written exams or Japanese comprehension exams. You are learning 4 different skills,all in one go; reading, writing, speaking and listening. To believe you will excel in all 4 elements is just a not possible.

I hope that has been useful for you?

Thanks for your help, either way.

...............

Hey guys, I was wondering wether I'd still stand a chance of getting a room in Dinwiddy if I apply now? Also, what other student hall like places are used by a lot of SOAS students?
Thanks so much!

Thanks so much for all the wonderful information and advice! I guess I should stop being so anxious about it.
Congratulations on having been graduated!