Finding your place at SOAS: Hannah’s first-year story

After studying at two other universities and taking time away, Hannah* started at SOAS feeling behind, but support gradually helped her feel like she belonged.

When I arrived at SOAS, I wasn't the typical first-year student. By the time I arrived, I'd already studied at two other universities, changed courses, taken time away from education and questioned whether university was really for me. Watching everyone else settle in so quickly, it was easy to believe I was the only one carrying that kind of story. I thought I was starting behind everyone else. I wasn't.

Starting again isn't failure 

There was a time when I genuinely believed I'd failed. I faced mental health challenges, left university multiple times, and felt like I was falling behind others. Looking back now, I realise those setbacks weren't the end of my story, they were just part of it. 

Little by little, I started believing I belonged here.

One of the biggest lessons that university taught me wasn't academic. Sometimes growth happens simply because you keep turning up. It was that resilience doesn't mean ever struggling. It means asking for help when you need it, starting again when things don't go to plan, and remembering that your worth isn't measured by your grades. I've learned that confidence grows quietly.

Finding my place at SOAS 

SOAS didn't magically fix everything. I still had anxious days, moments of self-doubt and weeks where studying felt overwhelming. The difference was that I stopped trying to do everything on my own. I asked for help. I used the support available. Little by little, I started believing I belonged here.

If you're reading this and you're worried you don't belong, please remember this: Everyone arrives at SOAS with a different story. Some journeys are straightforward, others take unexpected turns. Neither makes you more or less at home here.

Things that helped me

• Speaking to a Mental Health Mentor 
• Asking for academic support
• Celebrating small wins instead of chasing perfection
• Remembering that progress isn't a race

*Hannah is a pseudonym at the request of the student.