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should i study english literature at university? please help!

hi, undecided between literature at university. Any advice? like do we have to read a lot?

Thankyou.
(edited 10 years ago)

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Yes, you have to read a lot and you have to have a solid grounding in literature before you even start the course. Should you apply to study it at university? Honestly, I can't tell you that. Why do you want to study it, anyway? Just for the sake of going to university? Are you studying English Literature at the moment?
Reply 2
Original post by muse_of_fire
Yes, you have to read a lot and you have to have a solid grounding in literature before you even start the course. Should you apply to study it at university? Honestly, I can't tell you that. Why do you want to study it, anyway? Just for the sake of going to university? Are you studying English Literature at the moment?


yeah im studying english literature right now...i want to carry in on becasue it's the only subject that i feel i will enjoy. but my enjoyment for english lit has only just started recently :s-smilie:

i dont want to study it just for the fact that i wanna go uni...i also want to get a good job from it:redface:
Reply 3
Doesn't sound like you have that much of a particular interest in it. Which of course will make it feel like hell. Have you considered taking a gap year to figure out what your passion is?
Reply 4
Would you be prepared to read more if you take it as a degree? (And if you don't, I recommend you read more anyway)

If you enjoy it and are prepared to read more, I don't see why not (just don't let on that you don't read much when applying :tongue:)
Reply 5
I think considering your username is Eyre, you should. :fluffy:
Reply 6
Original post by Dinodance
Would you be prepared to read more if you take it as a degree? (And if you don't, I recommend you read more anyway)

If you enjoy it and are prepared to read more, I don't see why not (just don't let on that you don't read much when applying :tongue:)


yeah i am prepared to read more...i would read now but i just dont seem to find the time with 4 A-levels to focus on :frown:

will they ask how many books i've read?:confused:

thanks for your reply everyone
Reply 7
Original post by lovely_me
I think considering your username is Eyre, you should. :fluffy:


lol:biggrin:, i did make this username while i was reading jane eyre.
(edited 10 years ago)
Reply 8
Original post by eyre2
yeah i am prepared to read more...i would read now but i just dont seem to find the time with 4 A-levels to focus on :frown:

will they ask how many books i've read?:confused:

thanks for your reply everyone


I have no idea what they'll ask you, I'm only in high school :tongue: but I don't imagine they would ask you how many books you read...just don't say "I don't read very much" at any point, and they'll never know :biggrin:
Reply 9
i was going to make the same thread! i want to do english, do journalism in future. but i havent read that much...
Reply 10
I also recently started taking an interest in English literature; my teacher basically pushed me towards doing a degree, whilst all along I moaned and complained that I would never be able to do a degree in English as I hadn't read enough books. Then when I had to decide about uni courses, I realised that English was one of the only subjects that I genuinely enjoyed so I picked up a book and read it. Then another. Then I got even more fascinated by books and spent the entire summer reading up on the 'classics' that I had so sorely missed out on over the last few years: it was definitely worth it! Now I'm applying to study English at uni, even though I will have read nowhere near the amount of books that other applicants have read, I still love the subject!

If you genuinely do enjoy English, I'd say go ahead, but I would definitely start picking up novels/poems/plays and reading them now.

Good luck :smile:
Reply 11
Original post by Dinodance
I have no idea what they'll ask you, I'm only in high school :tongue: but I don't imagine they would ask you how many books you read...just don't say "I don't read very much" at any point, and they'll never know :biggrin:


lol ok thanks for the advice:smile:
Reply 12
Original post by Trottoir
i was going to make the same thread! i want to do english, do journalism in future. but i havent read that much...


wicked! lol, well read all the post which might help.

do you enjoy reading though?
Reply 13
Original post by digestives
I also recently started taking an interest in English literature; my teacher basically pushed me towards doing a degree, whilst all along I moaned and complained that I would never be able to do a degree in English as I hadn't read enough books. Then when I had to decide about uni courses, I realised that English was one of the only subjects that I genuinely enjoyed so I picked up a book and read it. Then another. Then I got even more fascinated by books and spent the entire summer reading up on the 'classics' that I had so sorely missed out on over the last few years: it was definitely worth it! Now I'm applying to study English at uni, even though I will have read nowhere near the amount of books that other applicants have read, I still love the subject!

If you genuinely do enjoy English, I'd say go ahead, but I would definitely start picking up novels/poems/plays and reading them now.

Good luck :smile:


really...thats kind of whats happening with me...my english lit teacher has a HUGE passion for reading and he influcnced me to start reading...now i do enjoy it.

i dont mind reading alot in summer...it's just the personal statment that i have to write now:frown:
I dont think you have to have read books. It obviously helps alot but I think alot of people pick up a love for reading as they go along. I would recommend reading as much as you can over the year in your spare time.
Whilst in Uni you will have to read about 2 novels a week, sometimes more. You are going to need to feel comfortable with this level of reading or you will get behind.
Personally, I have always lived and breathed reading and literature. I love it, and so had a lot of my course friends. But so many people on my course had never read that much in their spare time.

Knowledge of the classics will get you far. During my studies there were so many times when I would think 'Oh that links in with this book' and 'ooooh i can see how that can be compared to this...' and it helped me in my essays. The more you read and love literature the easier it is.

I would also recommend reading some of the introductions to the classics as they give you an idea of how critics interpret certain texts. I remember having quite an exciting moment reading the Intro to A Clockwork Orange and Lolita and thinking, YES this is what I want to do I love the way people write their responses to novels. Geeky but true.
Reply 15
Original post by mollymustard
I dont think you have to have read books. It obviously helps alot but I think alot of people pick up a love for reading as they go along. I would recommend reading as much as you can over the year in your spare time.
Whilst in Uni you will have to read about 2 novels a week, sometimes more. You are going to need to feel comfortable with this level of reading or you will get behind.
Personally, I have always lived and breathed reading and literature. I love it, and so had a lot of my course friends. But so many people on my course had never read that much in their spare time.

Knowledge of the classics will get you far. During my studies there were so many times when I would think 'Oh that links in with this book' and 'ooooh i can see how that can be compared to this...' and it helped me in my essays. The more you read and love literature the easier it is.

I would also recommend reading some of the introductions to the classics as they give you an idea of how critics interpret certain texts. I remember having quite an exciting moment reading the Intro to A Clockwork Orange and Lolita and thinking, YES this is what I want to do I love the way people write their responses to novels. Geeky but true.


wow thanks for your reply! i want to be more like you lol. :biggrin: maybe i should go into english lit. oooh so you read alot at uni no wonder all english lit teachers have read so many books!
2 books a week does sound allright, well it depends how big and difficult the text is really.
so are you currently studying english lit at uni?
Original post by eyre2
wow thanks for your reply! i want to be more like you lol. :biggrin: maybe i should go into english lit. oooh so you read alot at uni no wonder all english lit teachers have read so many books!
2 books a week does sound allright, well it depends how big and difficult the text is really.
so are you currently studying english lit at uni?


It really varies how big/difficult they are really. I would start off with getting alist of recommended readings from your school. They should have one that will provide a starting point. I reckon try to read about 1 novel/play every two weeks and you will have covered alot by the end of the year.

I studied English Lit and History at Uni, and now I'm studying to be and English teacher!
Reply 17
Original post by mollymustard
It really varies how big/difficult they are really. I would start off with getting alist of recommended readings from your school. They should have one that will provide a starting point. I reckon try to read about 1 novel/play every two weeks and you will have covered alot by the end of the year.

I studied English Lit and History at Uni, and now I'm studying to be and English teacher!


oh ok thats a good idea. i want to make a start on a reading list then:smile:

hmm i will still have a problem with my personal statment as our sixth form wants us to make a start on it now:mad:

i'm sure you will make a great English teacher:biggrin:
I am applying to do English; my tutor put me off when she told me that unless I read shedloads of classic novels and had a diverse taste in reading, the university wouldn't be the slightest bit interested. :mad:

I used to be in your shoes at one point; I felt that in order to do English at university they expect you to have read tonnes and tonnes of 'classics'; that's not actually the case at all. What they do want to know is if you'll be capable of doing the subject. I actually heard it's a bad thing to waffle on too much about all the books you've read, it adds nothing to a personal statement whatsoever.

Soo if you enjoy English Lit go for it! :tongue: I have to add though with the increasing fees, only go to university if you genuinely want to study it, you don't want to be there and be doing a course you don't really want to do, or are half-hearted about. If you enjoy analysing and evaluating books and are quite open-minded when it comes to literature, then by all means go for it! :tongue:

I'm applying to do English and Psychology; I want to become a teacher :smile:
Reply 19
If you want to do it then you absolutely should! Don't worry too much about the reading. If you enjoy what you're doing at school at the moment and you have some good books to put in your PS then that's fine. However, i would advise you to read and think about a few books before interviews (if you apply to unis that do them). Remember that reading some poetry is just as good and very quick. I was in a very similar position last year. Good luck! :smile:

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