This discussion is now closed.
Check out other Related discussions
- Constantly worrying my mum will get cancer
- a bit of advice and reassurance please
- Worried about results already
- Results day tomorrow …
- Should I be worried?
- Boyfriend going on a lads holiday!!
- Am I overthinking this??
- terrified for results day
- Warwick law entry
- My friend thinks I should get help for anxiety but I'm worried I'm not anxious enough
- i flashed on omegle when i was 13/14 and years later i worry
- QMUL leniency?
- LNAT
- Anxious Parent
- Woodhouse application
- Do celebrities like Daniel Radcliffe, Brad Pitt worry?
- epq presentation
- University of birmingham computer science
- mocks year 10 help please
- Not getting response from Bangor university
getting worried
Well firstly i'm worried i wont even get the grades i need to study at my chosen uni - but i think most people feel this way at the moment?!
Secondly, i'm worried that i wont be able to keep up with the english course i've selected. I've done combined english at a-level and have Q300 down as the course i want to do, primarily lit based i believe? Basically, i'm worried that i haven't read enough to be any good at the course and know i read way too slow. I don't know what to do about this really, other than try to get through some of the suggested books, but i realise that i probably wont even finish many of them as i have bought some books recently that i want to read. I haven't read that many classics, even things like Lord of the Flies or 1984 i haven't read not to mention things like the Crucible, crime and punishment, etc etc etc.
Then i have the issue of my vocabulary and spelling in general, i think i have a very limited vocab and know my spelling is terrible for a potential English student... oh dear now i'm doubting myself even more!
Secondly, i'm worried that i wont be able to keep up with the english course i've selected. I've done combined english at a-level and have Q300 down as the course i want to do, primarily lit based i believe? Basically, i'm worried that i haven't read enough to be any good at the course and know i read way too slow. I don't know what to do about this really, other than try to get through some of the suggested books, but i realise that i probably wont even finish many of them as i have bought some books recently that i want to read. I haven't read that many classics, even things like Lord of the Flies or 1984 i haven't read not to mention things like the Crucible, crime and punishment, etc etc etc.
Then i have the issue of my vocabulary and spelling in general, i think i have a very limited vocab and know my spelling is terrible for a potential English student... oh dear now i'm doubting myself even more!
Relax - you're going to uni to learn. You're not supposed to know it all already. The more you read, the better your spelling and vocabulary will be, so don't worry about that. 
Ditto, the more you read, the quicker your reading speed will be. So... get practising. 
As for the reading itself, don't stress too much about not having read the 'classics' - I'm hopefully going to be doing English at uni next year, and I haven't read Lord of the Flies, either. I have read The Crucible, but only because it was my set text last year (awful play, by the way...). 1984 is really interesting and not hard to read. Don't be put off by things because they seem hard. To get through the list, I would suggest you alternate between the suggested reading, and the stuff you enjoy - that way you can think 'Oh well, even if this is boring I have XXX to look forward to.' And you never know, you may find you actually quite enjoy the some of the classics. They're famous for a reason, after all.
As for feeling like you won't get the grades - I hear you, I really do...
Ditto, the more you read, the quicker your reading speed will be. So... get practising. As for the reading itself, don't stress too much about not having read the 'classics' - I'm hopefully going to be doing English at uni next year, and I haven't read Lord of the Flies, either. I have read The Crucible, but only because it was my set text last year (awful play, by the way...). 1984 is really interesting and not hard to read. Don't be put off by things because they seem hard. To get through the list, I would suggest you alternate between the suggested reading, and the stuff you enjoy - that way you can think 'Oh well, even if this is boring I have XXX to look forward to.' And you never know, you may find you actually quite enjoy the some of the classics.
They're famous for a reason, after all.As for feeling like you won't get the grades - I hear you, I really do...
Kidders
Thanks so much, i know it's just words but you have really cheered me up! lol! Thanks for the encouragement and making me feel like all is not lost yet!
Aw, you're most welcome, and thanks very much for the rep.
There's no such thing as 'just words' - not in English anyway. Happy reading. 
i'd never touched chaucer let alone middle english before uni- by the second year i was writing very good essays on the stuff and am doing a final year module on it next year!
at the same time, i've only read a handful of 20th century novels and have only touched on a couple in my time at uni - don't think i'll look at any next year and i've never really needed to refer to them in my studies, hopefully.
uni really is a learning experience - if there's stuff you have read and a) want to study in further depth or b) apply it to other texts, then great. if there are texts or genres you've never come across at all, you'll either be come across them at uni or will never look at them unless reading for pleasure later in life. either way, it's not a problem. and often, when you do get told to read a text from unfamiliar territory at university, you're actually taught it rather than simply told to get on with it. you're likely to be given a social, literary and biographical context, meaning that anything you read shouldn't be the sort of uphill struggle you get when reading something tricky out of the blue.
at the same time, i've only read a handful of 20th century novels and have only touched on a couple in my time at uni - don't think i'll look at any next year and i've never really needed to refer to them in my studies, hopefully.
uni really is a learning experience - if there's stuff you have read and a) want to study in further depth or b) apply it to other texts, then great. if there are texts or genres you've never come across at all, you'll either be come across them at uni or will never look at them unless reading for pleasure later in life. either way, it's not a problem. and often, when you do get told to read a text from unfamiliar territory at university, you're actually taught it rather than simply told to get on with it. you're likely to be given a social, literary and biographical context, meaning that anything you read shouldn't be the sort of uphill struggle you get when reading something tricky out of the blue.
Jelkin
"The Crucible" is amazing! Still, to each her own. Don't worry about what you have or have not read - if you got into uni then you must have reached somewhere near the standard they require! You'll be fine.
But it's such an obvious play! It's like Miller's banging you over the head with his plot half the time; there's just no subtlety. And I really dislike how he does commentaries on his characters and their history - that shouldn't be necessary if the play were well written. Same with the super-long stage directions, I find them really unecessary and rather insecure. I much prefer All My Sons, that's got some pith to it.
Never mind, I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree. 
Thanks to everyone who has posted, i had a mad panic for a while that i would be totally useless at uni, but hopefully as mentioned i have somewhere along the line shown that i am at least capable of being there and should learn the trickier stuff during my time at uni!! Getting a little more excited now and less worried!!
Kidders
Thanks to everyone who has posted, i had a mad panic for a while that i would be totally useless at uni, but hopefully as mentioned i have somewhere along the line shown that i am at least capable of being there and should learn the trickier stuff during my time at uni!! Getting a little more excited now and less worried!!
Good for you! Now get off the PC and go read.
like everyone else has said- don't worry so much! if professors want you to be familiar with these works, they'll assign them. you're not supposed to know it all before you get there. good luck!
p.s. this may be a stupid question that will potentially embarrass me- but is law and order a book? i've never heard of it. there's a tv show called law & order- could you mean crime and punishment perhaps? if it is a famous book then i guess i'll have some reading to catch up on too!
p.s. this may be a stupid question that will potentially embarrass me- but is law and order a book? i've never heard of it. there's a tv show called law & order- could you mean crime and punishment perhaps? if it is a famous book then i guess i'll have some reading to catch up on too!
mariahb
like everyone else has said- don't worry so much! if professors want you to be familiar with these works, they'll assign them. you're not supposed to know it all before you get there. good luck!
p.s. this may be a stupid question that will potentially embarrass me- but is law and order a book? i've never heard of it. there's a tv show called law & order- could you mean crime and punishment perhaps? if it is a famous book then i guess i'll have some reading to catch up on too!
p.s. this may be a stupid question that will potentially embarrass me- but is law and order a book? i've never heard of it. there's a tv show called law & order- could you mean crime and punishment perhaps? if it is a famous book then i guess i'll have some reading to catch up on too!
No, I think you're right - Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment sounds a lot more likely. Now, please excuse me whilst I go edit my post.
Not that it makes any difference, I still haven't read it. 
I'm exactly like you, i've always read but not the 'classics' and im a really slow reader too so it might take me months to get through one book. I did eng lit at A level and got a good grade, but it was so frustrating that discussion in lesson was about books that i hadnt read, constantly, they'd refer to pride and prejudice about ten times a lesson, and its annoying when u havent read it!
So i decided for uni that id start some reading, and i actually love some of the classics, so i'd suggest u do the same, i have a 2nd hand book shop near me, so i just get books for like 50p, i read the ones i like and if im not keen i take them back... ive just bought today the odyssey, 1984 and treasure island!
You'll be fine, don't think you NEED to have read a lot, but i think it helps!
xxxxxxxxxxxx
So i decided for uni that id start some reading, and i actually love some of the classics, so i'd suggest u do the same, i have a 2nd hand book shop near me, so i just get books for like 50p, i read the ones i like and if im not keen i take them back... ive just bought today the odyssey, 1984 and treasure island!
You'll be fine, don't think you NEED to have read a lot, but i think it helps!
xxxxxxxxxxxx
epitome
Hear hear!
Just to reiterate, it's not about what you've read, it's about how you read. The vast, vast majority of my literature reading has been done since I started uni two years ago - I've certainly made up for lost time, but it proves there's hope for you yet!
Just to reiterate, it's not about what you've read, it's about how you read. The vast, vast majority of my literature reading has been done since I started uni two years ago - I've certainly made up for lost time, but it proves there's hope for you yet!
I agree. Uni, im expecting, will also focus on literary theory and ways to interpret texts more than just analysing a text from your perspective.
ie it's not about volume of books you've read at all!
I likewise am very worried, as I'm thinking of applying for English courses this year and I too haven't read many of the 'classics.' The only 'classics' I've read (and enjoyed) are Emma, Pride and Prejudice, Little Women, Of Mice and Men, All Quiet on the Western Front and plays such as A Streetcar Named Desire, Translations, The Glass Menagerie, A Doll's House, Vinegar Tom and some of Shakespeare's texts... I've enjoyed reading for years, but the thing is is that growing up I enjoyed children's literature or teenage fiction such as Roald Dahl, Michelle Magorian, Jacqueline Wilson, Louise Rennison and of course JK Rowling. Furthermore, I enjoy books that are not labelled classics such as recent novels like The Time Traveller's Wife, High Fidelity, Forbidden Love and Bridget Jones' Diary... I feel worried about what to say on my personal statement concerning my love of reading... likewise whether I'll be ok doing a literature degree...
liss31d
I likewise am very worried, as I'm thinking of applying for English courses this year and I too haven't read many of the 'classics.' The only 'classics' I've read (and enjoyed) are Emma, Pride and Prejudice, Little Women, Of Mice and Men, All Quiet on the Western Front and plays such as A Streetcar Named Desire, The Glass Menagerie, A Doll's House, Vinegar Tom and some of Shakespeare's texts... I've enjoyed reading for years, but the thing is is that growing up I enjoyed children's literature or teenage fiction such as Roald Dahl, Michelle Magorian, Jacqueline Wilson, Louise Rennison and of course JK Rowling. Furthermore, I enjoy books that are not labelled classics such as recent novels like The Time Traveller's Wife, High Fidelity, Forbidden Love and Bridget Jones' Diary... I feel worried about what to say on my personal statement concerning my love of reading... likewise whether I'll be ok doing a literature degree...
I've only read a few Shakespeare plays, one Dickens novel, one Austen, two Bronte novels (one each by Charlotte and Emily), two by Conrad, some Swift essays, some F Scott Fitzgerald, and some more modern works such as Patrick Suskind's Perfume. Plus some dialogues by Plato.
OK, listing it like that makes it look like quite a lot
- but I still feel that my explorations of literature so far have been woefully inadequate for a prospective English applicant. However, in the end as long as you're enthusiastic about reading in general (including the 'classic' texts you have touched upon), you shouldn't have any worry about studying literature at university - after all, part of doing an English Lit course is to be introduced to the works of such figures as Milton, Pope or Chaucer... there's no expectation for you to have worked your way doggedly through the entire canon! I felt the same not long ago.. ( I haven't applied yet).. and seriously questioned whether I should be applying to study english at uni. I went mad.. and bought lots of books I felt I should have read.. have only read about 8 of them so far.. But, there is soo much I haven't read.
There will always be books you should have read that you haven't. There is never enough time to read all the books you should have. That's why I want to do english so much. as I'll be able to read and study so much more than I've had a chance to before. And, well, you've been accepted.. So, your uni certainly thinks you're good enough.
Ohh and if you haven't read Lord Of The Flies you haven't missed out on much. It's awful and I hate it with a passion. The Crucible is good though. And, shamefully, I haven't read 1984 either. I keep meaning to read it, but there is always something else I want to read first.
There will always be books you should have read that you haven't. There is never enough time to read all the books you should have. That's why I want to do english so much. as I'll be able to read and study so much more than I've had a chance to before. And, well, you've been accepted.. So, your uni certainly thinks you're good enough.
Ohh and if you haven't read Lord Of The Flies you haven't missed out on much. It's awful and I hate it with a passion. The Crucible is good though. And, shamefully, I haven't read 1984 either. I keep meaning to read it, but there is always something else I want to read first.
hahaha well im reading 1984 now... i always felt that my school never really did the classic texts, i've read some obviously - it would near on impossible to skip all of them in however many years i've been at school and reading. But like another poster put i actually really enjoy childrens literature and i'm hoping to do a module in this in my 2nd or 3rd year.
I hear what you are all saying about going to uni to actually read some texts you may not have discovered before and its really very true, but i'd never thought about it like that! hehe! Plus the course i've got as my firm has some really interesting stuff on there so hopefully it will be fun to read the more demanding / classic texts!
I hear what you are all saying about going to uni to actually read some texts you may not have discovered before and its really very true, but i'd never thought about it like that! hehe! Plus the course i've got as my firm has some really interesting stuff on there so hopefully it will be fun to read the more demanding / classic texts!
Thank goodness there are other worried potential English students out there! As I was applying, and practically from that moment on, I've been wondering how I'll cope with all the reading and whether everyone will have read loads more than me. It didn't help that I'd gone to a Nagty English course in September and everyone had read everything - I just felt so thick! Then as I'd applied to Oxford I got the 'you must have read X,Y and Z' lecture from teachers and the Oxford people. It was quite overwhelming.
However, I got my Durham offer, so I'm getting used to the idea that obviously I'd impressed them enough to get an offer in the first place, and that we're going to uni to study literature, so it doesn't matter if we haven't read much yet! Still, I'm slightly worried about the reading load as I'm not a very fast reader...but then as it's my degree, reading books and writing essays will be classed as work and it'll get done. I think when we've got deadlines we'll manage. That's what I'm like anyway.
However, I got my Durham offer, so I'm getting used to the idea that obviously I'd impressed them enough to get an offer in the first place, and that we're going to uni to study literature, so it doesn't matter if we haven't read much yet! Still, I'm slightly worried about the reading load as I'm not a very fast reader...but then as it's my degree, reading books and writing essays will be classed as work and it'll get done. I think when we've got deadlines we'll manage. That's what I'm like anyway.
Related discussions
- Constantly worrying my mum will get cancer
- a bit of advice and reassurance please
- Worried about results already
- Results day tomorrow …
- Should I be worried?
- Boyfriend going on a lads holiday!!
- Am I overthinking this??
- terrified for results day
- Warwick law entry
- My friend thinks I should get help for anxiety but I'm worried I'm not anxious enough
- i flashed on omegle when i was 13/14 and years later i worry
- QMUL leniency?
- LNAT
- Anxious Parent
- Woodhouse application
- Do celebrities like Daniel Radcliffe, Brad Pitt worry?
- epq presentation
- University of birmingham computer science
- mocks year 10 help please
- Not getting response from Bangor university
Latest
Trending
Last reply 4 weeks ago
Has anyone done the English Literature and Creative Writing CourseLast reply 1 month ago
Difference between english language and linguistics at university level?Last reply 2 months ago
Advice from a current university student studying English Language and LinguisticsTrending
Last reply 4 weeks ago
Has anyone done the English Literature and Creative Writing CourseLast reply 1 month ago
Difference between english language and linguistics at university level?Last reply 2 months ago
Advice from a current university student studying English Language and Linguistics
