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Undergraduate International relations and Arabic at SOAS

Hi, I'm currently in my final year of schooling and applying to university. I'm very interested in international relations and politics, and my personal statement is tailored to it; however, I love Arabic and emphasised my love for the language in my personal statement. I have been taking Arabic lessons online for over a year in the Levant Palestinian dialect. And my Arabic tutor told me that the school in Jordan is one of the best for IR. I'm also rethinking my decision to apply for IR and politics, as they both overlap, so I wanted to hear from a current student at SOAS. How is international relations with Arabic, and how is the year abroad in Amman? I am very interested in travelling to an Arab country and hearing the language being spoken in the streets. I would greatly appreciate it if I could get a reply ASAP! as I'm finishing up my personal statement so that I can submit it.
(edited 1 month ago)
Original post by studybunny00
Hi, I'm currently in my final year of schooling and applying to university. I'm very interested in international relations and politics, and my personal statement is tailored to it; however, I love Arabic and emphasised my love for the language in my personal statement. I have been taking Arabic lessons online for over a year in the Levant Palestinian dialect. And my Arabic tutor told me that the school in Jordan is one of the best for IR. I'm also rethinking my decision to apply for IR and politics, as they both overlap, so I wanted to hear from a current student at SOAS. How is international relations with Arabic, and how is the year abroad in Amman? I am very interested in travelling to an Arab country and hearing the language being spoken in the streets. I would greatly appreciate it if I could get a reply ASAP! as I'm finishing up my personal statement so that I can submit it.

Hi, I'm in my final year of studying international relations and Arabic at SOAS and would be happy to share my experiences! Looking back at my time at SOAS, I'm really happy with my decision to combine both subjects. I like the variety of topics, assignment methods and teaching styles that come with studying two very different subjects.

Studying abroad in Jordan was the highlight of my degree, so I'd definitely recommend it! There were some difficult aspects at first (communication issues, adapting to a different environment, homesickness, etc.), but overall, it was a very fun and rewarding experience that facilitated my personal and language development. I was able to experience the Arab culture and hospitality first-hand and I made friends from all around the world.

Living in Amman helped push me out of my comfort zone and improve my speaking skills at a much faster rate than before. I studied at Qasid in Sports City, which is a part of Amman where English isn't widely spoken, so I was constantly using Arabic to carry out my day-to-day tasks. Moreover, during classes at Qasid, we were encouraged to communicate only in Arabic and this helped me to become more comfortable with speaking on the spot.

I also loved exploring the country and trying new things. I visited lots of historical places like Petra, Jerash, and Madaba and learnt about the old civilisations that used to live there. I also picked up new hobbies like hiking, star-gazing, and tatreez (traditional Palestinian embroidery). Jordan has some stunning natural landscapes like Wadi Ghuweir and Dana Nature Reserve, as well as a vast and fascinating mythology about the stars.

For further insight, you can also read about another SOAS student's experience in Amman here: https://www.soas.ac.uk/about/blogs/east-london-amman-my-year-abroad-jordan

I hope this helped; let me know if you have any other questions!
-Szara

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