EVELINA GOCHEVA

Hi my name is Evelina and I come from Bulgaria. I graduated from QMUL last summer, which means that I am new to SOAS. I study MSc Environment, Politics and Development. During my undergrad degree I was a course rep for two years and I was the SU’s International Representative Officer last year. Through these roles, I have seen the great effect that positions such as these can have on student experience. I want to use the experience I already have to help you guys, which is why I am running for Postgraduate Taught Officer.

And here some of my ideas:

1. Raising awareness
   1. For the opportunities/ rights that postgraduate students in SOAS are entitled to such as:
      1. PHD applications, help for finding funding
      2. Career advice and help
      3. Common room
      4. Library accessibility etc.

These facilities are all open to us, but obviously some people are more aware than others. I would like to make people more aware of what’s around them – this can be done through a variety of means, be it social media, emails, posters on campus or occasional post-grad only gatherings, which could be accessible to anyone who wished to come down.

1. Involvement
   1. Work on increasing involvement of postgraduate students with the SU.
      1. Attending events
      2. Letting people know what services are provided
      3. Mainly more attention from the student union towards postgraduate student issues.
      4. Bigger focus should be on the postgraduate student experience
      5. But also look at issues such as the costs of and barriers to further study, if necessary
      6. Work with the student union on a campaign that tackle issues around exam and dissertation stress
      7. Include useful resources and a line-up of productivity-boosting activities
      8. Creating a publication based on good study skills
      9. If it’s needed work on additional individual or group study space and a chill-out zone.

On the whole, SUs are predominantly focused on their undergraduate students and it’s normally those students who get involved. However, the SU is there for all of us and I feel that it’s an underused body by post grads. It can be helpful in many ways and we can also be useful to them – in short, it’s a win-win scenario. I would like to increase communication between the SU and postgraduate student body as this will allow us to progress and develop in accordance with each other’s needs and make life as a postgraduate student a bit better.

1. Establish
   1. A postgraduate society
      1. To create a sense of belonging across all courses
      2. As well as people studying part time
      3. Bring people together in order to make new friends
      4. Share experiences
      5. Run by postgrads, for postgrads.
      6. To have a group platform for the SOAS postgraduate community to campaign collectively for our rights, represent our needs and interests to SOAS and come together socially and academically.

University is all about getting to know people and sharing experiences etc. Despite having graduated once already, this still applies to postgraduate study. It’s easy to get caught up in your work or feel lost and left out if you’ve moved to a new campus. Having a society would enable the community to come together and do things as a group, should they wish. Socialising, sharing stories, holding talks and just creating a sense of togetherness across a group which are all too often fractured and split up across the university community.