Among the different institutions I have attended, this is the one I am proud of saying it is my alma mater because it is somewhere I really learnt something new rather than just expand on my high school knowledge. (...) I have moved out and about between different countries and (...) I have met alumni in unexpected places.

Charles Lor (MSc Violence, Conflict, and Development; 2002) 

Quite Ironically, I came into SOAS wanting to qualify in the bar and go into human rights, I came out understanding the world functions around economic development and I could work in the corporate world and yet be an instrument of change. I began to understand that it is better to be within the system and create progress rather than against it.

Nimisha Sara Philip (LLB, 2015)

I have been lucky to be able to put to use both my practical training as an economist and the regional focus on the Middle East in my career. For instance, with the Aga Khan Development Network, I worked in Syria for over a year, and in Canada’s Foreign Service, I have served in Ramallah. In my current role in Washington, I get to focus more on economic issues, both in the US and as they apply to international development.

Hussein Hirji (Development Economics, 2007)

SOAS challenges you on what you think you already know – we all have countries that we might defend or not defend – but then you meet people who may be from those regions who tell you how it is really on the ground. The different views and perspectives is a huge strength. I’d give SOAS a ten out of ten. It’s a great place to be. It’s also a very friendly and welcoming, and you settle in very quickly.

Nicholas Oniwon, MA International Studies and Diplomacy, 2013