Avoid SOAS at all costs September 24, 2021

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

I acknowledge both students and professors have faced challenges, I know I have face many, but some of my professors did not care about the class or teaching, and some created a very hostile environment. - I had to move to a lower level of a language in the middle of the year because of the hostility and aggression of one professor who simultaneously was not teaching the class at an appropriate level and would not answer any of my questions about grammar. His level was too high and he was only interested in conversations with native speakers. He had made very upsetting comments and it was evident was prejudiced against non-heritage speakers being in the class. I am grateful that the head of the department was accomodating in welcoming me into the lower level, while also providing me supplementary meeting times to compensate for not being at the level I was originally accuretly placed at. - During the 2020-21 academic year, classes were pretty much all remote because of COVID-19, and because of that, there were students in cities stretched out from Seattle to Mumbai, and everywhere in between. SOAS uniquely has a very international student body (around 53%). In one language class of 8 people, my professor refused to change the time of the class that met at either 3am or 4am for ~30% of the class. Students kept calling for the class time to be changed and even created doodle polls, but the professor refused. Consequently, my peers and I were limited to recordings of a language class for an entire term until he left the school that winter with a new professor taking over the class in January.

On-site administration of your program

The administration is chaotic, disorganized and makes horrible decisions that are detrimental to the lives, well-being and experiences of students. To start off, it's a very bureaucratic university, but none of the offices appear to be in conversation with one another. There were many issues that were handled just horribly by SOAS. Here are some of my experiences: - instead of charging the tuition of a full-year study abroad student, they charged me the tuition of a masters student (several thousand pounds more expensive) and it many weeks to resolve this - they did not inform study abroad students about a crucial tool: navigating mitigating circumstances. Students at SOAS cannot simply ask for an extension if confronting challenges in life, contrary to the norm in the US. One must present a dossier of documented proof to a committee that meets a list of conditions and there is still no guarantee that the extension will be granted. During COVID-19, it was irresponsible not to inform students about this tool or how to use it. I only learned from a student more than halfway into my study abroad. - At the beginning of my study abroad, SOAS would not have my true name (which at the time differed from my legal name) written on my email or on login. I was consistently deadnamed and it took over a month with constant emails to admin to address the issue, and, in the end, it took legally changing my name to get my name displayed correctly. SOAS's system does not accommodate trans and nonbinary students and their staff are not trained to handle the situations with respect and sensitivity. I am pretty sure what I experienced went against UK law as well. - Several days before the end of the submission period in term 3, the administration announced an extension for finalists of two weeks and all continuing students would be able to submit in the next submission period (in the following academic year) without an issue. These were to provisions because of the challenges of COVID-19. At the end of the business day, roughly 30 hours before the original deadline, the administration announced that study abroad do not count as finalists and are not entitled to any of the provisions full-time students are entitled to because of COVID-19, regardless of the fact that full-year study abroad students pay more than twice the tuition of a full-time student. In their first email, they never defined the word finalist and all of us study abroad students assumed that we fell in the category of finalsits. This was a horrible experience that was extremely stressful, burdensome and overwelliming. It could have all been avoided if the administration communicated clearly. The administration rejected student petitions, emails and letters calling for equal treatment and implementations for study abroad students. The decisions of SOAS administration regarding this incident discriminated against study abroad students.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

n/a but I can say from having visited Dinwiddy House in the past, it's a horror. Very small cramped rooms that are extremely uncomfortable. In order to have water from the shower and sink taps, you have to hold down a button at all times. If you let go, the water turns off after 5 seconds.

n/a but answer required

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

It was very hard to navigate this during the height of COVID-19 but the university did not make any attempt to integrate study abroad students

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

n/a but answer required

While I was a remote student, there are things to consider about safety that go beyond physical safety. As a minority, who and what are you exposed to, and what challenges do you have to confront because of the identities you hold. From my own experience and events that I witnessed, SOAS is not safe for trans, non-binary or Black students. Anecdotes: - At the beginning of my study abroad, SOAS would not have my true name (which at the time differed from my legal name) written on my email or on login. I was consistently deadnamed and it took over a month with constant emails to admin to address the issue, and in the end it took legally changing my name to get my name displayed correctly. SOAS's system does not accommodate trans and nonbinary students and their staff are not trained to handle the situations with respect and sensitivity. I am pretty sure what I experienced went against UK law as well. -During a public forum on videocall during which the topic was how budget cuts at the uni have left no modules or options in African studies (at the School of Oriental and African Studies) and professors use of the n-word is inappropriate, the director of the school Adam Habib, aggressively told a British Somali student, that he (the student) is not African, and that he, Adam Habib--who is a non-Black South African--is allowed to say the n-word which he continued to use through out the rest of the meeting. He also aggressively challenged attendees who tried to bring sensitivity to the issue and stand up for Black members of SOAS. The university has since reinstated Adam Habib as president after this incident (he was suspended pending an investigation) and still there have not been any re-additions to the African studies program.

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

n/a but answer required - I was a remote student

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• The select few terrific professors I was lucky to find

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