SOAS still worth it?
I keep hearing that SOAS is excellent in specific areas but suffers from an apathetic / inept admin. As an international student seeking to do a postgraduate degree in International Relations in 2024, and hopefully get a job in London thereafter -- what are some of the things i should be mindful of?
- Are the admin issues still a concern ? How much does that affect day-to-day?
- Are societies clique-y?
- do employers continue to hold SOAS in high regard?
- Are the admin issues still a concern ? How much does that affect day-to-day?
- Are societies clique-y?
- do employers continue to hold SOAS in high regard?
I am not sure about employer reputation but the admin is absolutely pathetic. If you are applying for SOAS don't have it as the only option. I applied in Early April and ended up getting my decision on in August and one of my friends had to pay extra to get her visa expedited because they delayed her CAS for almost 3 months. So just have a backup to account for the logistics.
Original post by battycat
I keep hearing that SOAS is excellent in specific areas but suffers from an apathetic / inept admin. As an international student seeking to do a postgraduate degree in International Relations in 2024, and hopefully get a job in London thereafter -- what are some of the things i should be mindful of?
- Are the admin issues still a concern ? How much does that affect day-to-day?
- Are societies clique-y?
- do employers continue to hold SOAS in high regard?
- Are the admin issues still a concern ? How much does that affect day-to-day?
- Are societies clique-y?
- do employers continue to hold SOAS in high regard?
Admin was pretty poor when I was there, albeit that was during COVID. However I was also told by the head of department from the uni I'm going to from this coming academic year that when she was at SOAS (about 15-20 years ago) she had much the same experiences. So I suspect it is as it ever was and will be. It is very frustrating in some regards, although you often don't need to engage with the admin side of the university - it's just that when you do, it's usually for something important, so it becomes even more frustrating and stressful. However the lecturers are all very sympathetic and do whatever they can to help - they're also all very good in my experience!
Outside of the UK I gather SOAS has a phenomenal reputation, much stronger than within the UK. Within the UK though generally where you go to uni doesn't affect your employment prospects so much (outside of investment banking and management consultancy) as often employers in the UK just don't pay any attention to where (or what) you studied and just want to see you have a 2:1 or above in a degree, and thereafter focus on assessing other aspects of your application. Notably though it seems SOAS grads seem to fare well in legal employment, and I believe at least at one point one of the major investment banks considered a SOAS masters to ameliorate for going to a non-target uni for undergrad (but did not consider SOAS a target uni for undergrad).
No idea about societies since, as noted, when I was there it was during COVID.
@umbrellala might be able to advise more on some of these issues, and also particularly in terms of IR (I was in a different department entirely).
Original post by battycat
I keep hearing that SOAS is excellent in specific areas but suffers from an apathetic / inept admin. As an international student seeking to do a postgraduate degree in International Relations in 2024, and hopefully get a job in London thereafter -- what are some of the things i should be mindful of?
- Are the admin issues still a concern ? How much does that affect day-to-day?
- Are societies clique-y?
- do employers continue to hold SOAS in high regard?
- Are the admin issues still a concern ? How much does that affect day-to-day?
- Are societies clique-y?
- do employers continue to hold SOAS in high regard?
My quick answers to this would be yes, yes(ish), and yes.
Admin is indeed very slow but I interacted with them probably once or twice a year at most. The common admin stuff like applying for extensions was smooth, it was just the occasional official paper or query like that which was a pain. Day-to-day communication was all good though! All the staff I interacted with in the IR department were responsive and helpful.
I wasn't in a whole load of societies, but I did find some of them clique-y. It was the sports team I joined that was especially clique-y so I eventually left, but a lot of people have really great experiences in societies. You just might need to shop around a bit, that's all!
I'd echo what @artful_lounger says about employers. Those who know SOAS in the UK are super impressed by it, those who don't don't really care either way. It's definitely still very well regarded internationally.
The admin is very poor. They practically have part time staff only with very few full time staff, hence the delays and issues. Its also not well known in the UK and is in constant debt.
It also attracts a very specific student crowd so you are best avoiding it unless you want to be unhappy.
It also attracts a very specific student crowd so you are best avoiding it unless you want to be unhappy.
Original post by Raineyyyy
The admin is very poor. They practically have part time staff only with very few full time staff, hence the delays and issues. Its also not well known in the UK and is in constant debt.
It also attracts a very specific student crowd so you are best avoiding it unless you want to be unhappy.
It also attracts a very specific student crowd so you are best avoiding it unless you want to be unhappy.
SOAS has been in a surplus since 2020 (although they haven't published their 2021-2022 financial report yet so can't 100% confirm that's still the case) and the major restructure seems to have addressed that problem. I've found it's well-known in the subjects it specialises in (ie. languages and politics/IR), so people in those industries definitely deem it a respectable institution, although outside of those sectors it might be a different.
Plus, I'm sure OP has researched very thoroughly and is confident they'd fit into the crowd at SOAS. Although there's a disproportionate number of disgruntled SOASians on TSR, a lot of us actually enjoyed our uni experience!
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