Student Reviews

Based on total 33 reviews

3.51 / 5

5 star
3%
4 star
33%
3 star
52%
2 star
12%
1 star
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Accommodation

2.53 / 5

Graduate Careers

3.70 / 5

Course Quality

3.92 / 5

Social Life

3.88 / 5

Top Student Review

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History of Art and Archaeology

(5)·By Juzo A·Other· Oct 2018
Since all lectures are specialists in each field with great knowledge and experiences, the real case study (i.e. up-to-date archaeology findings etc) has been provided. Also thanks to its location near the British Museum, we had such memorable classes in the museum looking at the actual objects that you would only see in your text book elsewhere. The uni library also holds rare books that I would find it difficult to find even back at home in Japan. I lived in a private accomodation so cannot make a really valid opinion on this on a personal level. but my friends at Uni who used to live in the student accomodation did not complain once. The location is near the uni and it's in the heart of London's West End! London is a city full of temptation and disturbance to your study. It is also expensive to live in. I have failed my first year because I was not a serious student enough... I was enjoying my social life too much in the new city I had just moved in and failed some courses. This was a big awakening to me and I managed to proceed to the 2nd year after one more year repeated. I was very disappointed with myself but London has never disappointed me. London is full of things, good and bad. Being in such an international city, your classmates and neighbours will be from all over the world. I have met many people that I would not have been able to meet in my home town. You will have a lot of opportunity to learn about new things that happen in London. You study history of Art and see the new arts being born around the corner. That's London. I have never met any student who were 100% happy with their libraries. Let's be honest, no uni has enough space to let all students study at once. I remember there were long queues before the photocopiers. But it's all down to your own time-management. If you time it wisely, you can always avoid the queues. Books were absolutely awesome. I have read many books there that had nothing to do with my coursework since they were just
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Student Reviews (33)

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Politics, Year 1

(4.8)·By Saar-rah P·Education / Teacher Training· Mar 2019
The Freshers events were really good! Lots of really cool parties and loads of meet ups and get togethers during the day. The Freshers fair was exceptional. There were so many freebies being offered and lots of extra-curricular activities being offered.

The accommodation is amazing. It's really fancy however due to the fact it is in central London it is ridiculously expensive and we still have to use a form of public transport t get to the university. The people are really lovely and the standard are great

The library is literally breathtaking. It's absolutely incredible. It's completely open plan at it has a really good atmosphere in which all the students just want to gain more knowledge. The bookeshelves are filled with a vast array of interesting books. The SU is amazing, everyone is so kind and fun. There is always something going on.

The course is really interesting. I love the take we are given. We are constantly asked to criticise the norm. I love the fact that we are asked to look at it from different perspectives rather than the west. The lecturers and seminar teachers are all amazing at what they do and they create an encouraging atmosphere to learn and excel in.

We are in central London so the city life is outstanding. It just doesn't stop. I love feeling like we are in the centre of everything. We are next to UCL uni aswell so there is a real student vibe to where our uni is

You really must be prepared for the amount of reading that you will receive. It is important to reallh understand what you are reading rather than just skim through it and hope for the best. It is imperative you keep up to date with current affairs and aren't shy to speak out.
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Economics, Year 2

(4.5)·By Ynaiita W·Economics· Jul 2021
It was fun and friendly! Loved how many events there were and how integrated it was. Paul Robeson House for the facilities it provides was very cost-effective. However, there were slot of water problems and they could have been more understanding regarding refunds when students had to move out due to covid. Excellent! Student Union was amazing at organising events, student help, etc. The bar and JCR were my favourite spots. I loved studying in the library and student hubs - those I missed most during the lockdown. The course was my dream course and I enjoyed studying and learning. For once, studying wasn't a bore because I was interested in writing essays and participating in seminars! Lectures were very interesting and lecturers were fun and friendly. They were great at making me understand the theories. London life was everything I dreamt of (pre-covid). It was exciting and invigorating. People were friendly and courteous and I always got free coffees from Pret!
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History, Year 2

(4.3)·By Asma S·History· Jul 2021
It was not very well organised, as there was too much going on, and too many people around which created a lot of traffic Accommodation is via third party companies, too small and overly expensive, due to the nature of the location (central London) Facilities are smaller compared to other universities, but very clean, well kept and comfortable Lecturers are passionate, empathetic, and involved in student progress, so teaching is excellent. The course was quite demanding but extenuating circumstances procedures help with this City life in London is the epitome of a good city life anywhere, as the location is diverse and centred around culture, leisure, and entertainment
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History, Year 2

(4.3)·By Skye W·History· Jul 2021
it was ok - it was primarily a ‘welcome week' and introduction to societies and the university itself. There weren't many parties I attended which was a shame, but there were lots of non-uni specific freshers events at clubs. This was probably because it was a university outside of a university-town I didn't stay in the accommodation myself, but I've visited and it looks better than most halls I've seen. The rooms are bigger, lots of my friends had double beds and en-suite bathrooms and the social life there was very alive. The Student Union (and bar) are really cute, they're really nice for making friends or even just hanging out by yourself in and simply being around other people. That atmosphere is really pleasant. The Library is one of the best libraries in the country as its able to offer Asian and African journals and books which people wouldn't be able to access in any other library. The first year of my course is very broad and varied, allowing us to get a strong fundamental understanding of the course. I personally found the lecturers quite boring at times, as I wasn't interested in ancient history as much though London is busy, everyone knows that. There's so much to do all the time, but I think that's a detriment to uni life as the sense of a ‘uni culture' is lost on the city and people can go off and just do whatever they want because there is just much more to do
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Languages, Graduate

(4.3)·By Maryam A·Languages· Jul 2021
It was amazing, I loved meeting all the new faces. I felt really included and welcomed. The accommodation is ok. Nothing too fancy but it is pleasant. I loved the library, it had a great vibe and it was great to study there. I loved the student Union too. The lectures were of great quality as was the delivery. The materials covered were in depth and you cannot study Arabic anywhere else like you can at SOAS. It was amazing to study in such a vibrant and magical city. London is definitely the place to be when you're a university student.
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Politics / International Relations, Graduate

(4.3)·By Ayesha D·Politics· Jul 2021
Freshers week was lively, the university societies organised a lot of events to attend. It was busy and a great opportunity to socialise and meet new people. It was a friendly and welcoming environment for the new students. The university accommodation was called Dinwiddy House and it was known to be quite unclean and cramped. It was fairly well maintained however and was known to be a good place to socialise and make friends. The Library at SOAS was by far the best facility and space in the whole university. It was large and very well stocked, with a vast array of international and regional texts. The classrooms were good facilities to work in, although were not the most clean spaces to be in. The student union was a comfortable and enjoyable space to be in, and with a recent re-vamp, it was even cleaner and spacious. The lecturers and tutors were a very good part of the course, they were very helpful and very engaging to listen to and interact with. The course itself was very interesting, and content the best part of course, full of engaging debates and subjects. Studying and living in the city was definitely one of the best parts of uni life. It was exciting to be a part of such a busy city, where there was always something to see or do. Whether you were in uni or not, the city life was constant and you were never bored.
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Politics / International Relations, Graduate

(4.3)·By Libin F·Politics· Jul 2021
It was great ! So many different people, stands, conversations. It was really easy to sign up for things and make friends. It was a fantastic start to the year because it allowed me to develop friendships before the year had started so I went in with a group of people that I clicked with. Loved freshers week so much ! Accommodation was good and it was only a few minutes walk away from the uni which was perfect. I had an en suite which was just what I needed. Anyone that goes to uni needs to stay in halls because it was so fun and full of memories Soas is a small uni so there weren't a lot of spaces for students to just hang out and not study. But the continuously developed new areas and refurbishment. The library was the best feature and was huge and had SO many resources. The student Union was always accessible but there were a few issues with a few members The course had really great modules with mostly good lecturers. They all had a similar format which was good and every week was engaging. The tutors were excellent and helpful London is an amazing city with so many different spots and areas to see and experience. It's such a big place so you never run out of things to go and places to explore
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Great Course!

(4.3)·By Patrick E·Other· Oct 2018
The course Anthropology of Development is good, but if you're more anthropology-oriented then do straight social anthropology. The development stuff gets a bit dry. But some really like it. The Theoretical Approaches to Social Anthropology course, mandatory for people without anthro experience is very well taught and the tutors are excellent. Probably the best team of tutors there could be. Paul Robeson House. Many bad reviews of this place knocking about but I have had a great time here and met 70% of my friends here. I was lucky with friends in my flat and on other floors. We've had a few parties but I've never really experienced noise at night. When having a party you need to knock on everyone's door and get them round. You get the odd person who seems terrified with a stranger at the door but most people have been cool. Some leaky showers and dripping ceilings in bathrooms. I have been pretty lucky. Very cheap for the location. Central London. You will not get better value. Rarely a failure of amenities. Amazing, but expensive. Too busy to enjoy it to be honest. But you can't beat London for diversity. It is an amazing place to be. Food's ok, you can go to the nearby supermarkets and buy meals and use the microwave which is good. The bar has a low tech vibe but it's good that way. Feels lived in and is good for a laugh. Printing facilities are ok, but apparently notorious for going wrong. I'd recommend buying a cheap laser printer to rely on at home. Plenty of computers at SOAS. Space in the library can be a squeeze at exam period. Union is very active and political, but you are not pressured to be militant. Bar is quite cheap, but not compared to Birkbeck accross the way. Lots of nights going on. SOAS parties are pretty rowdy and a laugh.
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Politics / International Relations, Graduate

(4)·By Emmanuella K·Politics· Jul 2021
Freshers week was chaotic but extremely fun. There were activities, parties, get-to-knows. The campus was really small so you got to know everyone really quickly. The accommodation was pretty similar to other university accommodation i've visited. It was in an incredible location near King's Cross - that was probably the best part about it. SOAS has one of the best resourced libraries in the country. The buildings are quite old but we have a great bar to spend time in. SOAS offers the only Politics course in the country that looks to criticise western hegemony and common narratives around this - this was really really important to me when choosing which university I wanted to go to. I grew up in London so it was what I was used to - it was nice to be in the middle of london and close to everything.
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Law / Legal Studies, Year 3

(4)·By Habiba A·Law· Jul 2021
Freshers week was buzzing as usual, Soas prides itself in its diversity and expansive society list so there was lots to do and sign up for. I didn't use accommodation so this question doesn't apply to me. The SOAS library is iconic, students across London use the library as well as Senate house. As the uni is a specialist Middle Eastern and Far Eastern expertise, each floor of the library is dedicated to this. So much rich history. The lecturers are experts in their fields who have actually been drafting legislation, working with UN bodies etc. They have real life experience and feed that into the lecturers Russell Square and Holborn station are both walking distance so the uni is placed centrally.
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