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SOAS or St Andrew’s??

Hello! I’m currently in two minds about whether or not I should go study at St Andrew’s for Social Anthropology or go to SOAS for International Relations and History. I absolutely love the look of the course at SOAS since it has such an international variety of the modules that you can take whilst I feel like other universities tend to be more Eurocentric in its approach, especially during the first couple of years. However, I saw that student satisfaction at SOAS tends to be higher at a postgraduate level than at an undergrad level and I’m worried about spending money on a university experience I won’t love. I know that St Andrews has been ranked consistently of being particularly high in student satisfaction rates so I have more confidence that even though the course doesn’t appeal to me as much as the other one, that I would have a better overall experience. I’m not too worried about rankings since I know both universities are extremely good for the subjects I want to study. If anyone has any stories of their time in either uni or any advice please send them my way 😭🙏🙏

Reply 1

Ereza_SOAS

Official Rep

Hi,

I studied International Relations at SOAS and I absolutely loved it! The academic experience was fantastic especially because of SOAS' unique global focus and the insights into different regions that I had previously not been exposed to in my earlier years of education. The course is extremely well taught and taught by world-leading professors so the content is great.

In terms of student experience, I really believe it's what you make of it. SOAS is a much smaller university with a total of around 6000 students, so it has a more close-knit feel. This means you often see the same faces everyday and become familiar with the same people especially if you get involved in societies, events and student life. However, it does have a less traditional campus feel in comparison to St Andrews. It's right in the middle of London, which is great for social and job opportunities but it means that student life is more spread out compared to a self-contained campus like St Andrews. If you prefer a bigger campus, then this is something for you to consider. If you haven't already done so, I would suggest booking a campus tour at both universities and seeing which one appeals to you more. Often, pictures and statistics aren't enough to make a decision - you have to experience the vibe and feeling for yourself. SOAS runs a tour every Friday so it would be great if you joined - https://www.soas.ac.uk/visit-soas/campus-tours

Ultimately, it depends on what you want out of your university experience. From my personal experience, enjoying the course you are studying plays a big role in your satisfaction at a university. Whilst the bigger campus feel at St Andrews may appeal to some, it is not a guarantee that it automatically means you will have the best student life so enjoying your degree is a big factor to consider. If you are more drawn to the course at SOAS, I would highly suggest SOAS based on my experience and the London opportunities available. But I think it would be a good idea for you to visit both and see how each of them differ and which you would rather spend the next 3 years at.

Good luck with your decision!

EH, MSc Development Studies

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SOAS or St Andrew’s??

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