The Student Room Group

Should Years Abroad Be Scrapped for Language Degrees?

I have heard that some unis have started leaving the traditional four-year language degrees and instead implementing the three-year ones, without a year abroad. I'm on my Year Abroad in Spain, very happy about it, but I can still see both pros and cons of such years.

Pros:
- You'll get the chance to experience the culture(s) of the language(s) you study, which wouldn't happen should you stay in the UK only.
- If you go to university on your Year Abroad, you'll be able to pick modules that your university probably doesn't offer. As an Erasmus student, your choice is pretty much unrestricted, so it's a chance to do what you wouldn't do otherwise.
- Your language skills will improve drastically. Being fluent in the language you study is most likely a prerequisite to next year at your home university.
- If you go on a work placement, you will get a rewarding experience which you can turn to a full-time job or a brilliant point in the CV
- You might be exhausted because of your home university, the place where you live, your daily routine, etc., so a one-year escape may recharge your batteries

Cons:
- It takes a year, which means that you will be one year delayed in terms of career progression in comparison to most of your peers from university.
- It sometimes costs a lot. While everyone on Erasmus exchange receives a generous mobility grant and doesn't pay anything to their home university, if you fancy going somewhere your university hasn't established partnership with, you'll have fewer options of funding. If you go on an unpaid work placement, you'll need to have saved a lot beforehand.
- It can be dangerous. SOAS has no Year Abroad for Persian, because they fear sending (mostly) British students to the Islamic republic, but there are other languages for which you have not very safe options (Hebrew for instance).
- It doesn't need to benefit you. University courses can be useless or of low academic standards. You can be surrounded by people who'd only be willing to speak English to you (usually the case of Scandinavia). You can feel isolated and not integrated properly, for various reasons.

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