UoL - best uni choice?

Hello everyone! I've recently gotten offers from The University of Edinburgh, UCL, and SOAS for social anthropology. SOAS has been a dream since I was a child, but I haven't been hearing the best things about it lately; regarding admin, educational resources, reputation, etc. Edi and UCL are equally amazing options and I'd love to go to either but I'd also really appreciate someone else's opinion on this. Which one really is the best choice for me, considering I'll be studying Anthro as an international student?

Hello and congratulations on your offers! I’m studying anthro as an international student so maybe I can give you some advice. I remember how hard it can be to decide between great universities, I had an offer from LSE and turned it down for SOAS! At the time, my main reasons for choosing SOAS were for the aspects that make it unique: its international community, really interesting anthro curriculum with a focus on contemporary topics, and its regional expertise. In my experience, it has lived up to those things.
As for the critiques you’ve been hearing about it, in my experience the educational resources have been great. We have a huge main library and a separate anthropology library, as well as online access to hundreds of journals and study support.
Regarding SOAS’s reputation, it is well-regarded by employers, particularly for the research and critical thinking skills as well as the passionate engagement with world issues SOAS students are known for. There are some employers who might not know about SOAS, because it’s a smaller uni, but they don’t look badly on it.
I will admit that I have experienced some admin issues, and they can be a bit annoying to deal with, but they are all solvable with a few emails or visiting the relevant offices!
The best choice for you will depend on the parts of your uni experience that you’d like to prioritise, but if you’re looking for somewhere with great teaching, interesting and unique modules, and a very diverse student body, then SOAS might be a good choice.
If you have any more questions, feel free to ask them!
Agustina

Hello and congratulations on your offers! I’m studying anthro as an international student so maybe I can give you some advice. I remember how hard it can be to decide between great universities, I had an offer from LSE and turned it down for SOAS! At the time, my main reasons for choosing SOAS were for the aspects that make it unique: its international community, really interesting anthro curriculum with a focus on contemporary topics, and its regional expertise. In my experience, it has lived up to those things.
As for the critiques you’ve been hearing about it, in my experience the educational resources have been great. We have a huge main library and a separate anthropology library, as well as online access to hundreds of journals and study support.
Regarding SOAS’s reputation, it is well-regarded by employers, particularly for the research and critical thinking skills as well as the passionate engagement with world issues SOAS students are known for. There are some employers who might not know about SOAS, because it’s a smaller uni, but they don’t look badly on it.
I will admit that I have experienced some admin issues, and they can be a bit annoying to deal with, but they are all solvable with a few emails or visiting the relevant offices!
The best choice for you will depend on the parts of your uni experience that you’d like to prioritise, but if you’re looking for somewhere with great teaching, interesting and unique modules, and a very diverse student body, then SOAS might be a good choice.
If you have any more questions, feel free to ask them!
Agustina

I'm in Year 12, and thinking of applying to SOAS later on in the year, what do you plan to do with your degree in social anthropology after you leave uni, also how is university life in London?