Why I picked SOAS (and you should too)

Final year student Daisy shares why she decided to study BA Chinese at SOAS, including the opportunity to live in London and spend a year abroad.

After taking some time out to decide where to study, I knew I wanted to make the right decision. It was when I travelled to China, that was when I realised that I wanted to study Mandarin. As well as its subject offering, here are all the reasons why I decided to pick SOAS. 

Seeing the unique specialisms on offer 

The first thing that drew me to SOAS was its subject specialisms. At secondary school, there was a big university noticeboard in our English classroom with a column on SOAS. At that point I had no clue that any university specialised in regions like Asia, Africa, the Near East, and the Middle East. It’s because of these specialisms that you meet so many interesting people here. People with interests that you’ve never heard of, that’s something that I love about it here. 

Getting to go on a year abroad

The year abroad was an attractive part of the course for me. Despite uncertainty due to Coronavirus, I had faith that it’d go ahead. Luckily, in 2022, I found myself in Taipei for the year, and it was indeed the highlight of my degree. I made unforgettable memories and friends for life there. Most importantly, I solidified my language skills. 

Visiting SOAS at an Open Day 

After dropping out of university at 19, I knew I wanted to go back, I just didn’t know what to study and where. I took this decision seriously; I didn’t want to make the same mistake again. I worked for three years and did some travelling. In 2019 I travelled to China, that was when I realised that I wanted to study Mandarin. 

When I got back to the UK, I attended one of SOAS’ UG Open Days, it was then that I realised it was the university that I wanted to study at. I think it was the vibe of the university, the staff, the students, the campus; it just felt like a warm place, there’s no other way to describe it. 

I think it was the vibe of the university, the staff, the students, the campus; it just felt like a warm place, there’s no other way to describe it.

Fast-forward to 2020. Three years after dropping out of university, I submitted my UCAS application with one university on it: SOAS. I received my offer soon after and began to eat my way through the reading list. 

Living in London 

Though it is likely my bias as I’m from here, but there just isn’t a better place to study and live in than London. SOAS lies in the heart of Bloomsbury, London’s publishing district. Two minutes from our campus is Bedford Square, a treelined square complete with fifty-three terraced Georgian townhouses. I often sit on the benches there to eat my lunch (provided it’s sunny). We are also right next to the British Museum if you ever want to have an ‘educational’ break from hours of study. 

London is a special city. We have great food, entertainment, people, and culture. Of course, it has its shortcomings, like the prices and how busy it gets, but there’s still no other place that I’d study. Plus, I’ve got my whole family here, too! 

I’ve loved my SOAS experience, and I hope that you will too.