[*Corinna*]

(Original post by Zenobia)
German? =P

yeah....I have to learn it for my PhD do you speak it by any chance? if so, please check facebook, I have a question you might be able to answer

[hobnob]

(Original post by Xristina)
yeah....I have to learn it for my PhD do you speak it by any chance? if so, please check facebook, I have a question you might be able to answer

You don't trust me, do you?

[*Corinna*]

(Original post by hobnob)
You don't trust me, do you?

ahaha, I thought you were offline. pm is on its way (although I'm pretty sure I know the answer...just want to make sure)

[Computerised]

(Original post by ChemistBoy)
It's weird I always though that Liverpool was a good university. To hear people on this thread you would think that it was some crappy ex-poly. Don't worry too much if you don't get into Oxbridge, their reputations at postgraduate level are not as massive as at undergraduate level there are other very good places to go.

Isit? I was thinking this as what sets Oxbridge apart from the others at undergrad level is their teaching style, but at postgrad level you are just researching with some professor and what matters is the professors skill and the equipment available. And as much as TSR users like to think Oxbridge professors are not any smarter than professors at other Russell Group unis and they don't have better equipment either. For these reasons I think I would be perfectly content to stay at UCL for postgrad, but if I did want to leave I totally wouldn't care so long as it's got a top chem department.

[Zenobia]

(Original post by Xristina)
yeah....I have to learn it for my PhD do you speak it by any chance? if so, please check facebook, I have a question you might be able to answer

Nein, ich kann nur lesen (???). Took 5 years in high school, but failed my oral exam. (Kicked the Cambridge language form's ass, as I actually read more languages than it even lets me fill out. But I only speak Dutch and English.) My dissertation supervisor assigned me a bunch of stuff to read in German (... and some French and Italian) - good times...

[The Lyceum]

(Original post by Zenobia)
Nein, ich kann nur lesen (???). Took 5 years in high school, but failed my oral exam. (Kicked the Cambridge language form's ass, as I actually read more languages than it even lets me fill out. But I only speak Dutch and English.) My dissertation supervisor assigned me a bunch of stuff to read in German (... and some French and Italian) - good times...

I had the same thing actually, lots of German and Italian and French.

"Sir I don't speak Italian?"
"You know Latin don't you?"
...."ok see you next week"

Which Near Eastern Languages do you know? Akkadian, Ugaratic, Sumerian? I'm going to start either Akkadian or Sumerian next year and finish with Hittite/Luwian/Palaic i.e do more than the stupid open U of Texas online course.

[Zenobia]

(Original post by The Lyceum)
I had the same thing actually, lots of German and Italian and French.

"Sir I don't speak Italian?"
"You know Latin don't you?"
...."ok see you next week"

Which Near Eastern Languages do you know? Akkadian, Ugaratic, Sumerian? I'm going to start either Akkadian or Sumerian next year and finish with Hittite/Luwian/Palaic i.e do more than the stupid open U of Texas online course.

At the moment I 'know' none. Hence the deep desire to to the MPhil!
I've done 1 year of Arabic, 1 year of Hieroglyphs, and so far 2 months of Syriac. I'd say my Syriac is actually getting pretty good though! And technically I speak a very small amount of Turkish.

Unofficially I have studied a lot of Akkadian, but also generally Near Eastern scripts, i.e. Palmyrene. I plan to do some Sumerian if I get the chance next year and definitely Uguritic, followed by Luwian etc. at some point. (Ugarit and Ebla - definitely two of the coolest sites I've ever visited in the NE!) I think after Akkadian I will prioritise Aramaic and Palmyrene/Nabataean for the time being though, but I definitely want to cover everything from Hittite to Ottoman eventually.

I do assume I will be studying this for the rest of my life, or at least for as long as I am capable. Generally though, there are connections between all of them (even in Syriac words derrived from Akkadian still exist) so I only foresee true struggle with undeciphered languages/scripts. Hence the essential combination with Archaeology, for me: we've got to find the scripts, and understand their context, to be able to piece them back together!

So nice to hear you're interested in it too : )

Edit: ... got a bit excited there.

[The Lyceum]

(Original post by Zenobia)
At the moment I 'know' none. Hence the deep desire to to the MPhil!
I've done 1 year of Arabic, 1 year of Hieroglyphs, and so far 2 months of Syriac. I'd say my Syriac is actually getting pretty good though! And technically I speak a very small amount of Turkish.

Unofficially I have studied a lot of Akkadian, but also generally Near Eastern scripts, i.e. Palmyrene. I plan to do some Sumerian if I get the chance next year and definitely Uguritic, followed by Luwian etc. at some point. (Ugarit and Ebla - definitely two of the coolest sites I've ever visited in the NE!) I think after Akkadian I will prioritise Aramaic and Palmyrene/Nabataean for the time being though, but I definitely want to cover everything from Hittite to Ottoman eventually.

I do assume I will be studying this for the rest of my life, or at least for as long as I am capable. Generally though, there are connections between all of them (even in Syriac words derrived from Akkadian still exist) so I only foresee true struggle with undeciphered languages/scripts. Hence the essential combination with Archaeology, for me: we've got to find the scripts, and understand their context, to be able to piece them back together!

So nice to hear you're interested in it too : )

Edit: ... got a bit excited there.

Very cool, Ox has great language support in the Oriental area btw. Things like Hittite/Luvian/Palaic aren't as well catered for as the more standard ones (Akkadian, Aramaic, Sumerian and Egyptian are the ones I see a lot of people reading here) but it's definitely doable.

I really hope you get in, we desperately need more people working on Anatolia/Near East in general, desperately! Best of luck.

[adobe]

I was just wondering if you got a Bachelors degree at an ordinary Uni, say Durham but then you go on to do a 1 year Masters degree from Oxford or Cambridge, would employers consider you 'oxbridge material'?

Like obviously you would be an oxbridge applicant to a job but would you be an oxbridge applicant to a job?
would having a Master's from Oxford and a Bachelor's degree from elsewhere create the same level of fappage from employers as a Bachelor's degree from Oxford and a Master's at somewhere else?

[Origami Bullets]

If you have a degree from Oxford, at whatever level, then you are Oxford material.

[/thread]

[adobe]

(Original post by Origami Bullets)
If you have a degree from Oxford, at whatever level, then you are Oxford material.

[/thread]

hmmm... just depends how competetive masters degrees are i guess

[lukas1051]

There's no such thing as 'Oxbridge material'. Clever people get into Oxbridge, and a lot of clever people don't get in. Having a degree from Oxford or Cambridge is impressive, but so is having a degree from other places - employers don't categorise people like this.

And the only 'fappage' you'll see with regards to Oxbridge are 14 year old TSR users.

[Origami Bullets]

(Original post by adobe)
hmmm... just depends how competetive masters degrees are i guess

Very competitive.

Given that the standard of work required from an Oxbridge PG course is higher than that required from an Oxbridge UG course, I fail to see why employers would see an Oxbridge PG degree as less worthy.

However, it should be noted that Oxford and / or Cambridge give out MA / MSc degrees automatically a certain number of years after you graduate from your BA / BSc. Employers may or may not be aware that an Oxford / Cambridge MA / MSc may involve zero work.

[adobe]

(Original post by Origami Bullets)
However, it should be noted that Oxford and / or Cambridge give out MA / MSc degrees automatically a certain number of years after you graduate from your BA / BSc. Employers may or may not be aware that an Oxford / Cambridge MA / MSc may involve zero work.

WOT? i dont get it !! hows that possible?!

[Origami Bullets]

(Original post by adobe)
WOT? i dont get it !! hows that possible?!

It's a wierd Oxford and / or Cambridge thing.

Essentially they just give you an MA / MSc a few (7?) years after you graduate.

Wierd, yes, and slightly sneaky for those who put them on their CV, and lead the slightly less aware employer to believe that they've spent at least 4 years at Oxford / Cambridge!

[Chief Wiggum]

(Original post by Origami Bullets)
Very competitive.

Given that the standard of work required from an Oxbridge PG course is higher than that required from an Oxbridge UG course, I fail to see why employers would see an Oxbridge PG degree as less worthy.

I'd always thought PG was known to be less competitive to get into than UG at Oxbridge.

I mean, I know a couple of people who do PG there who admitted they'd just not have been good enough to get in for UG, although they could of course just have been being modest.

[Norton1]

(Original post by Origami Bullets)
It's a wierd Oxford and / or Cambridge thing.

Essentially they just give you an MA / MSc a few (7?) years after you graduate.

Wierd, yes, and slightly sneaky for those who put them on their CV, and lead the slightly less aware employer to believe that they've spent at least 4 years at Oxford / Cambridge!

You should postscript it as MA (Oxon) or MA (Cantab)

Edit: It would be incorrect to use the style MA (Hons) as there is no examination for the MA degree

[Origami Bullets]

(Original post by adobe)
WOT? i dont get it !! hows that possible?!

http://www.cam.ac.uk/univ/degrees/ma.html

[Origami Bullets]

(Original post by Chief Wiggum)
I'd always thought PG was known to be less competitive to get into than UG at Oxbridge.

I mean, I know a couple of people who do PG there who admitted they'd just not have been good enough to get in for UG, although they could of course just have been being modest.

In that case we can still deem PG to be 'very competitive' and UG to be 'uber competitive' .

[TheMeister]

I love how the OP thinks Durham is an 'ordinary' university