SOAS University of London

It has been rather dismal. The takeaway is this: in terms quality of lecture content, SOAS scores high. However, there is a high level of the incompetency, disorganisation, and overall lack of communication between the university's various departments. This one fatal flaw so much outweighs any other strengths the university may have that I would STRONGLY urge anyone thinking of applying to think twice.

SOAS students are know to be activists, and the student union reflects that, though how effective it is in its endeavours can be questioned. It always strives, however, for fair representation of all groups.

I have not delved too deep into SOAS society culture, but they seems to have a wide array of clubs, ranging from sports, lgbqi and other social minorities, religious, and most notably cultural.

SOAS university facilities are somewhat lacking in terms of comfort. The campus is tiny, the corridors very narrow, the library very cold. There is a student run convenience store in the student centre, a coffee shop in the Senate House building, and that's about it. A plus is that water fountains are readily available in the main building, dispensing both hot and cold water. There is also a cantine, serving hot food, though its prices are not always cheap. Disabled, male/female, and gender neutral toilets are available.

There is an emphasis on group discussion in most SOAS classes, and you can tell the professors want their students to develop their own ideas.

The SOAS campus is located in Bloomsbury, right next to the British museum. It is also close to other universities' facilities such as UCL, RADA, Birkbeck etc. As a result the surrounding shops, cafes and restaurants cater to students. Most SOAS dorms however are located at least a 20 minutes walk from the campus, the biggest of which is next to King's Cross Station.

The university has Career Centre, and holds several job fairs/industry insights seminars. The Career Centre also sources part-time work and internships, many of which are designed to promote social mobility.

The university is very lacking in this sector. Support systems exist, but like everything in SOAS have to be hard sought out by the individual. You also get the feeling that all of these are very new, that or they are just incompetent (probably the latter).