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Direct Enrollment: London - University of London, School of Oriental and African Studies
Program Information
SOAS is unique: It is the only university in Europe specialising in the study of Africa, Asia and the Middle East. It has grown to become one of the world’s leading institutions with an enviable reputation. SOAS is an exceptionally cosmopolitan and vibrant university based in the heart of London. With more t... More
| Provider: | Direct Enrollment |
| Location(s): | London, The United Kingdom |
| Year Founded: | |
| Website | N/A |
Review By:
Claire A. (Middle Eastern Studies, Wellesley College) on September 03, 2010
Overall Rating
Personal Information
| * Start Date: | 1969-12-31 |
| * End Date: | 1969-12-31 |
| If you took classes at multiple universities, list those universities here: | N/A |
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | None |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Again, it is very self-directed. You will put in as much work as you see fit. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
We were pretty much on our own after Orientation, which I actually appreciated. The program administrators were very easy to get in touch with, though, so if they were needed they were there for us. |
| * Housing: |
SOAS referred first years and exchange students to Dinwiddy House. Not directly related, so SOAS was not responsible for anything that happened. |
| * Food: |
N/A. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I had an absolute BLAST exploring London. Nothing was arranged by my program, but I just used TimeOut and Spoonfed.co.uk to find out what was going on in the city. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
London is VERY safe! Just be street-smart. Pepper spray is not allowed, but the bookstore sells self-protection gadgets that are allowed. |
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* Home Institution Advising:
How well did Wellesley College prepare and support you for your time abroad? |
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Finances
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* Money: How easily were you able to live on a student's budget?
(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost) |
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| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | 40-50 pounds. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | DON'T HAVE PACKAGES SHIPPED TO YOU! You will be slammed with a customs fee worth about 1/3 the value of your parcel. |
Language
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
| Language acquisition improvement? |
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Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you take classes with?
Select all that apply |
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A Look Back
| * If you could do it all over again, would you choose the same program? | Yes |
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | You must be okay being on your own. This program will not hold your hand. |
| * What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile? | It has changed my world-view of global politics and American involvement drastically. I was also there during the elections, so that was fascinating to see! |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
Shi'ism: Community and Identity |
| Course Department: | Religion |
| Instructor: | Jan-Peter Hartung |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | Lacked a lot of direction. I personally did not like the class at all. VERY self-directed and requires a great deal of prior knowledge that was not specified in the course description. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | Unknown. |
| Course Name/Rating: |
Literature of the Near and Middle East |
| Course Department: | Language and Culture |
| Instructor: | Andrew George |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | Great look at literature over the span of time. 5 papers over the course of the year and no final. Revolving guest professors who were experts in their fields. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | Unknown. |
| Course Name/Rating: |
Introduction to Arabic Culture |
| Course Department: | Language and Culture |
| Instructor: | Hugh Kennedy |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | GREAT! It was an intro class, so there were a lot of first years, but the content was incredibly interesting. Look at Arabic culture since pre-Islamic times. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | Unknown |
| Course Name/Rating: |
Intermediate Arabic |
| Course Department: | Arabic 200 |
| Instructor: | Nada Elzeer |
| Instruction Language: | Arabic/English |
| Comments: | Very grammar-focused. A lot of vocabulary. Not a lot of speaking at all, but the professor was GREAT. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | Unknown. |