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Do you need a Modern Foreign Language

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Original post by `God

I think it will change as well, but UCL announced that they're making it a requirements years ago, so by the time I apply (currently in year 11) it won't count for me, hopefully. When do you think other universities will implement it if they do?

Absolutely no idea, but I wouldn't rest on your laurels. Even if universities don't implement it as a strict admissions requirement in 2 years' they may still look very favourably on a GCSE language, which could go against you.

Why are you asking anyway?

Reply 21

`God

Original post by Rascacielos

I'm asking because I haven't picked one and a lot of the teachers are saying that a modern foreign language is definitely needed to get into a russel group university, I don't know if that's a lie to try get more people to pick French/Spanish or if it's true. So far I've checked the universities websites and it only says it on UCL's but I was still unsure.

Reply 22

bownessie

Unless you are applying for a degree course involving language study, I can't imagine that the majority of courses would require an MFL. Speaking from experience, I applied to Russel Group and N8 universities and I didn't have any GCSEs. I was studying a language at 6th form, but there was no formal grade requirement for it... which presumably there would have been had the universities required a qualification in an MFL. The only thing is that I speak 2 languages already (in addition to the language I was doing at 6th form), but I doubt that affected it really.
I think it is just common sense, generally speaking. If you are applying for Spanish Studies then it would be imperative, even some liberal arts courses or courses like ancient hiostory might prefer it, but if you have good marks anyway even courses like that will probably accept you.

Reply 23

`God

Original post by bownessie

That's exactly what I think, I mean having a language GCSE is good but if someone doesn't have it it shouldn't be used to segregate students out of the best uni's.

Reply 24

bownessie

Original post by `God

That's exactly what I think, I mean having a language GCSE is good but if someone doesn't have it it shouldn't be used to segregate students out of the best uni's.

No it shouldn't be- and mostly I don't think it is used to segregate students. If you were an applicant which they were completely on the fence about it MIGHT help get you an offer... Overall, though, since I've got to uni I've realised that they quite often use a lot more common sense than people give them credit for. If you are a good applicant for the course, they are unlikely to be like "Well... you would be great on X, but as you haven't got a MFL GCSE, despite the fact it is unrelated to the course, we just can't accept you." Them taking a stance like that is almost nonsensical... Only if another applicant of exactly the same calibre as you and you were competing for one place is it likely to make a decision for them... I honestly just wouldn't worry too much, without sounding too fastidious, I wouldn't particularly want to go to a uni that required subjects that were unrelated to my course to get in, purely for the sake of it. Punishing someone for choosing not to do a language at the age of 14 seems elitist and wrong to me..

bump

they dont require it but it sure as hell wont hurt to have one :smile:

as for UCL it says it on their website that you need one but i failed my GCSE modern language and got an offer for there so who knows :biggrin:

Reply 27

SloaneRanger

They seem really stringent on a MFL, because there offering integration of studying it further as option in the 2nd year, same with most good universities. Southampton are the same, when I did Politics, I don't know about Law. But its something they bring up at interview.