SOAS Vs Sheffield Korean Studies

Hi there!
I did Korean Studies at Sheffield and I can't recommend it enough - even through covid, the teachers worked incredibly hard to make our classes as engaging and fun as possible, and they're so supportive and friendly. I've been to their houses more than once and they cooked for our whole class. <3
At Sheffield, you'll meet people who are studying all kinds of things, whereas SOAS is naturally more specialist and you won't have as much variety in what your friends are studying. Neither of these things are better than the other, it just comes down to personal preference. It's worth noting that Sheffield does have its own School of East Asian Studies (which Korean sits under), so there is specialist knowledge available and plenty of experts around.
If you're approaching things from a financial perspective, Sheffield is the clear winner! It's been voted one of the most affordable cities in the UK, and there is still plenty to do and lots to explore. Drinks are cheap, there are loads of great independent shops and restaurants, and the Peak District is a 30 min bus ride away. 🌳 It is quieter than London, obviously, but again that just comes down to your preference.
Good luck! Obviously I hope you choose Sheffield, but wherever you end up I hope you have a really great experience 🥰

i'm in the same situation as you currently !! I like both unis and both have pros and cons - I have a scholarship from sheffield and I do really like how cheap it is there and the city is nice, but london is a little closer to home for me and theres so many opportunities there and i love the city. I like the fact I could study linguistics also and that the school is quite smaller, but the lack of societies puts me off just a little. I'd really like to start this year but i'm just soo unsure haha, let me know how it goes for you!!

Me too! I live closer to London which is what initially drew me to the course but now I'm feeling like I've made the wrong choice. I'll be sticking with SOAS for first year at least but may potentially try and transfer to Sheffield for second year due to lower cost of living and by that point I'll be more comfortable living independently 🙂

I've heard stories of people transferring so it might be a possibility! i'm quite the opposite as I've been debating declining my sheffield place and accepting soas in clearing, sheffield is like 2+ hours away from home for me, so it's not helping my nerves haha

Sheffield is also around 2 hours from me which is what made me choose soas in the first place 🙂 Let me know if you do choose soas though since I'll be doing at least my first year there! I'm definitely going to give soas a chance though as I may end up really liking it!

yeah i'll let you know! just out of curiosity how was it choosing accommodation for you? are you going private or with the uni? I'm quite intimidated by the price but at the same time I do get the higher maintenance loan.. I emailed the accommodation team and they said they still have availability but I do have a list of options :')

I booked my accommodation earlier this year and went for intercollegiate halls since I didn't want to share a kitchen with like 10 other people :') It's quite pricy but I'll be getting a part time job once I'm in London to help with the cost! What accommodation options do you have?

oh nice i've heard about that one ! it's close to the uni right? my two options would be vega vauxhall and dinwiddy house 🙂 i reaaally love the look of vega and i qualify for the low income assessment, and i actually visited dinwiddy on the open day and it wasn't too bad, having an en suite is a bonus for me but i've also heard some bad things about it from people who have lived there.. its just a case of price and availability !

Thank you so much for the response! I was wondering whether you knew of anyone who transferred into the Korean course from second year? I missed the clearing cut off point and due to my accommodation contract in London I'll have to go to SOAS for at least my first year 🥲 Luckily I've spoken to the East Asian Studies department and they've told me that they do accept second year transfers so that's something I'm definitely considering doing. What textbooks do you guys use at Sheffield?