MA Islamic Humanities

SOAS University of London

I feel like the lectures are delivered in a great and interactive way, I feel the facilities are good and student life is good I have heard that student support can be slow so I will keep that in mind when attempting to access it

It was an amazing experience settling and I have thoroughly enjoyed the opening week of soas and I have settled in quickly with the lectures and se,imars

I think there could be improvements around student resources, but the university really succeeds in terms of location and facilities on campus.

SOAS holds a unique position in higher education, focusing on understanding histories and perspectives from Asia and Africa, as well as its relations to the West. Discussions in classes I attended were always complex , dynamic, and engaging. The student body heavily contributes to what is learnt and discussed - I highly value the passion that SOAS students hold. The university attracts broad minded people, making life at SOAS very welcoming but also fantastic for self development. That said, aspects the university can improve on are valuing said student body. The lecturers are, of course, very much in touch with us and are incredibly supporting. However, the upper level staff running the university often have moments displaying corporate-like behaviour. Is this is a surprise? No. Is it disappointing? Yes. SOAS should hold a unique place in education and we must work to preserve that. The university has also always had issues with organisation. Prior to joining SOAS, alumni had mentioned the poor organisation, and during my time there, as well as dealing with them as a graduate myself, I believe that this problem persists and is criticism widely expressed. Despite that, my time at SOAS has been wonderful and it is a shame that a large portion of it was spent during Covid. If anyone is considering SOAS, I highly recommend attending if you want to have access to quality education that focuses on decolonisation, humanities, and bridging the gap between the West and Asia and Africa, an amazing library (with access to the Senate House and UCL libraries!), and meet broad minded and passionate people.