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SOAS v City London

I have a conditional offer from SOAS law school and City, University of London law school, I would like to choose SOAS but I have heard they are very woke, but City Uni ranks lower than SOAS. Would I be silly to pick City London over SOAS ?

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Reply 1

You are right on both counts. City is crap and SOAS is the absolute worst in terms of their social and cultural narratives.

However, university is about learning and is about exposing yourself to different ideas. You can find that people are generally much more open and honest than you think. You can generally have a good conversation in the SOAS union with someone who you might think has wild ideas and danger hair. That's very much a case of you being open and non-prejudicial yourself.

If you're reading laws, SOAS is going to be a little bit different - their laws course has always had some unusual elements to it and you will inevitably get a bit of the "Britain is the most evil thing ever". On the other hand, if you go to City, you will be surrounded by current and future mobile phone salesmen.

Reply 2

Original post
by Trinculo
You are right on both counts. City is crap and SOAS is the absolute worst in terms of their social and cultural narratives.
However, university is about learning and is about exposing yourself to different ideas. You can find that people are generally much more open and honest than you think. You can generally have a good conversation in the SOAS union with someone who you might think has wild ideas and danger hair. That's very much a case of you being open and non-prejudicial yourself.
If you're reading laws, SOAS is going to be a little bit different - their laws course has always had some unusual elements to it and you will inevitably get a bit of the "Britain is the most evil thing ever". On the other hand, if you go to City, you will be surrounded by current and future mobile phone salesmen.


Very interesting, I definitely see what you mean by being open to different views and interpretations. When y it say City is crap, in what sense is it crap ? Are we talking teaching wise, employability wise. And when it comes to SOAS because they read law in a different way does that hold you at a disadvantage when applying for a training contract. Because ultimately my main issue here is employability. Thank you

Reply 3

Original post
by Nathan_33
Very interesting, I definitely see what you mean by being open to different views and interpretations. When y it say City is crap, in what sense is it crap ? Are we talking teaching wise, employability wise. And when it comes to SOAS because they read law in a different way does that hold you at a disadvantage when applying for a training contract. Because ultimately my main issue here is employability. Thank you

I think SOAS will be a better bet from an employability perspective. I am yet to meet someone from City involved in applying for anything law-related, but know plenty of people from SOAS that are active in this regard. It also has some interesting course options like Islamic Finance that could make for interesting conversation in interviews

Reply 4

Original post
by Nathan_33
Very interesting, I definitely see what you mean by being open to different views and interpretations. When y it say City is crap, in what sense is it crap ? Are we talking teaching wise, employability wise. And when it comes to SOAS because they read law in a different way does that hold you at a disadvantage when applying for a training contract. Because ultimately my main issue here is employability. Thank you

City is where people from London go if they have ok-ish A levels but their parents won't let them leave home. Effectively, it's Brunel without the facilities. They also talk up their law faculty on the basis of what their law school used to be decades ago under a completely different model of legal education. I have yet to meet anyone who went to City University who has a stellar career in any field - at least in the short or medium term.

SOAS has its problems, but at least its a good university. Do you have any other options?

Training is going to be a dogfight no matter where you go. I know people from Imperial and Cambridge who had to paralegal on a kiss and a promise for years.

Reply 5

Original post
by Trinculo
City is where people from London go if they have ok-ish A levels but their parents won't let them leave home. Effectively, it's Brunel without the facilities. They also talk up their law faculty on the basis of what their law school used to be decades ago under a completely different model of legal education. I have yet to meet anyone who went to City University who has a stellar career in any field - at least in the short or medium term.
SOAS has its problems, but at least its a good university. Do you have any other options?
Training is going to be a dogfight no matter where you go. I know people from Imperial and Cambridge who had to paralegal on a kiss and a promise for years.


So basically I will definitely have a higher chance of succeeding in the legal field by going to SOAS. My other options would be Westminster and Kent but I don’t want to move out from London for Kent. I will also call QMUL in clearing day if I get the grades they want as they rejected my application.

Reply 6

Original post
by InnateImpunity
I think SOAS will be a better bet from an employability perspective. I am yet to meet someone from City involved in applying for anything law-related, but know plenty of people from SOAS that are active in this regard. It also has some interesting course options like Islamic Finance that could make for interesting conversation in interviews


I just don’t know what to expect when studying the law at SOAS, because it’s very post colonial and they have very woke ideas

Reply 7

Original post
by Nathan_33
I just don’t know what to expect when studying the law at SOAS, because it’s very post colonial and they have very woke ideas

If that's how you think, you're doing exactly the same by letting your own ideology interfere with your education choices. "Woke" is simply the other side of the "far right" coin. It's a meaningless label that is a catch all for "anything I don't like".

Reply 8

Original post
by Nathan_33
So basically I will definitely have a higher chance of succeeding in the legal field by going to SOAS. My other options would be Westminster and Kent but I don’t want to move out from London for Kent. I will also call QMUL in clearing day if I get the grades they want as they rejected my application.

Kent isn't bad at all. If you're looking for London options, Brunel isn't the worst in the world. Better than Westminster. Herts isn't a catastrophe either.

Reply 9

Original post
by Trinculo
Kent isn't bad at all. If you're looking for London options, Brunel isn't the worst in the world. Better than Westminster. Herts isn't a catastrophe either.


Yeah im definitely looking at staying in London because its cheaper and easier, and SOAS is the highest ranking out of all my offers. But if not SOAS I will probably go with City because thats better than Westminster

Reply 10

Original post
by Nathan_33
Yeah im definitely looking at staying in London because its cheaper and easier, and SOAS is the highest ranking out of all my offers. But if not SOAS I will probably go with City because thats better than Westminster

But Brunel is also better than Westminster and it has a proper campus.

Reply 11

Original post
by Trinculo
But Brunel is also better than Westminster and it has a proper campus.


I couldn’t apply it Brunel it’s too far, commuting their would be way too hard

Reply 12

Original post
by Nathan_33
I couldn’t apply it Brunel it’s too far, commuting their would be way too hard

I take it you're going to be living somewhere other than student accomodation?

Reply 13

Original post
by Trinculo
I take it you're going to be living somewhere other than student accomodation?


No no I live in London my predicted A- levels are AAA, and QMUL rejected my offer so I’m now left with Westminster, SOAS, and City in terms of London based unis I could go to

Reply 14

Original post
by Nathan_33
No no I live in London my predicted A- levels are AAA, and QMUL rejected my offer so I’m now left with Westminster, SOAS, and City in terms of London based unis I could go to

That's what I mean - you're going to be staying in your current home and travelling in to university rather than staying in halls etc.

Reply 15

Original post
by Trinculo
That's what I mean - you're going to be staying in your current home and travelling in to university rather than staying in halls etc.


Oh right yes I will but I don’t wan to have to travel an hour and a half to get to uni so brune wouldn’t be the best option

Reply 16

Original post
by Nathan_33
Oh right yes I will but I don’t wan to have to travel an hour and a half to get to uni so brune wouldn’t be the best option

Are you a mature student (i.e. over 25) and will you be working some kind of other job whilst reading law?

Reply 17

Original post
by Trinculo
Are you a mature student (i.e. over 25) and will you be working some kind of other job whilst reading law?


No I am 18 years old so I’ll be doing an undergrad

Reply 18

Original post
by Nathan_33
No I am 18 years old so I’ll be doing an undergrad

My strong advice to you is to work out exactly what you want out of all this. None of the unis you've got written down are stellar and getting into practice is going to be challenging. Realistically, it's going to have to be SOAS and you'll have to work like mad to get a first in your first year so you can get on some vac schemes. From second year onward, either try for another uni on transfer (basically UCL or Kings) if you can't get that, then apply to the various pro bono schemes and try and get some actual work, and not just one case - it's got to be at least 3. Then vac scheme hopefully again. If you are getting nowhere, then I'm afraid it's going to be LLM at UCL or Kings to try get that upgraded and then try again and fight like the third monkey on the ramp to Noah's Ark to get a paralegal job.

In terms of uni - really think about turning what you might see as disadvantages into strengths. Take full part in the uni life - Law Soc will go without saying, but try to do at least one sport (I know SOAS isn't known for that) and one other soc - whether its theatre, cultural or whatever - you need that social outlet to meet people. Then do do that going out thing - try to always go down the union, or the UCL union. The SOAS union is nuts but do everything you can to really live the uni experience. If everyone around you is a mad commie - just go with it. If you didn't have the free Hare Krishna lunch, did you really go to SOAS? The point isn't for you to come out wanting to save the whale, but so that you really did get to exchange ideas and learn how other people think, even if you don't agree with them.


Edit: Don't pick City. Just trust me on that.
(edited 11 months ago)

Reply 19

Original post
by Trinculo
My strong advice to you is to work out exactly what you want out of all this. None of the unis you've got written down are stellar and getting into practice is going to be challenging. Realistically, it's going to have to be SOAS and you'll have to work like mad to get a first in your first year so you can get on some vac schemes. From second year onward, either try for another uni on transfer (basically UCL or Kings) if you can't get that, then apply to the various pro bono schemes and try and get some actual work, and not just one case - it's got to be at least 3. Then vac scheme hopefully again. If you are getting nowhere, then I'm afraid it's going to be LLM at UCL or Kings to try get that upgraded and then try again and fight like the third monkey on the ramp to Noah's Ark to get a paralegal job.
In terms of uni - really think about turning what you might see as disadvantages into strengths. Take full part in the uni life - Law Soc will go without saying, but try to do at least one sport (I know SOAS isn't known for that) and one other soc - whether its theatre, cultural or whatever - you need that social outlet to meet people. Then do do that going out thing - try to always go down the union, or the UCL union. The SOAS union is nuts but do everything you can to really live the uni experience. If everyone around you is a mad commie - just go with it. If you didn't have the free Hare Krishna lunch, did you really go to SOAS? The point isn't for you to come out wanting to save the whale, but so that you really did get to exchange ideas and learn how other people think, even if you don't agree with them.
Edit: Don't pick City. Just trust me on that.


I mean either way if I’m not going Uxbridge it’s going to be a challenge, but going onto vac schemes are they really competitive aswell ? And how would I get into a vac scheme ? But at the end of the day yes I will always look at the future and where I end up but I do have a passion to learn about the law . And also can you tell me a bit more about transferring and how it works please

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