&quot;How to choose my language degree&quot; Official Thread

OP

gaijin

Added. I can't offer specific advice, only general ones - especially for those considering doing full-on Japanese at uni.

That was MASSIVE :shock:

Ok, I have a problem, for the moment I can't edit the post because the case is empty :frown:

and it didn't let me add what gaijin wrote :sad:

. I'm gonna try to find a solution/try later.

Reply 23

Cunning Linguist

3

How long did it take you to type that first post!!??

And ye, it would have been useful for when I was applying! Rep for being so kind to new applicants.

Reply 24

OP

Students' opinions about languages :

- Jess and Spanish
- gaijin and Japanese
- lavalse and Arabic

Students' opinions about universities :

- Anatheme and Arabic at Manchester

Reply 25

OP

Cunning Linguist

How long did it take you to type that first post!!??

And ye, it would have been useful for when I was applying! Rep for being so kind to new applicants.

Well not as long as I thought it would :colondollar:

I'd say about 1/2h, I didn't even think I could have written that much in English :awesome:

. Could you give us your opinion on the languages you're studying, please ? You'd contribute to the thread and would help students doing better choices :biggrin:

Apart from that, another idea came in my mind, why not doing the same about universities ? I mean each language dept and uni is different, why not giving opinions about the uni we're studying in, with pro/cons, etc ? It would be even more helpful, wouldn't it ?

Reply 26

OP

The thread has been updated and I need your help to write it and improve it ! :yep:

Reply 27

lavalse

Anatheme

Just

If you think this thread needs to be improved, if you have any ideas or criticisms about it, don't hesitate to post or PM me, I'll be glad to make modifications or to help you if you need it. This is a collective thread aimed to help applicants or anyone who has questions about languages at university.
And I apologise for any mistakes I have made , English is not my first language. :o:

Well, I know that it can be hard to make a choice between the number of languages offered by various universities and it's very important that you choose the right one when you make your application. I decided to create this thread to help you with your choice, and to share tips, advice and opinions about languages. I hope this thread will help you and good luck with your application! :yep:

Summary

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I - Which university

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II - What sort of course

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III - Which language

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A - "Classic" languages

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B - "New" languages

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C - "Rare" languages

You can choose your university according to the location, what it looks like, etc. Sometimes you won't have that much choice because of the language you want to study : only a few universities offer languages such as Aramaic, or maybe because you want a surprising combination you can't find at every university. Keep that in mind when you check the university websites to see if your dream degree is available there. Pro/cons lists are a useful tool to decide when you start to shortlist universities. Don't trust league tables, what really matters is what you want to study, then at wich university, don't be put off because you don't find your dream degree at Oxbridge, just have a look elsewhere ! For more informations about universities and degrees, have a look at the Universities and HE Colleges section, you will find advice from current students and applicants.

II - What sort of course
Each course is different, be it because of the amount of literature, linguistic, history or obviously because of the language. The course content is often one of the most decisive criteria when choosing a degree and I advise you to have a close look at it, so that you won't be disappointed by any of your modules when at university.

Your interests may differ, so that you'll prefer to study either literature or history of if you abhor them, only linguistic. Every uni has its speciality and you can sometimes "create" your own degree, by choosing to study a language and its linguistics, by combining two or three languages (that may have nothing in common) or by combining a language and another subject such as Politics, Law or Business. You can also choose to study only one language, but most of the time, linguists go for at least two or another subject.

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Single honour degree :
If you choose to study only one language, then you will probably have a wide range of modules from literature to linguistics, including film studies sometimes. You will learn the language in greater depth, but will also study the culture and the society of the country(ies) in which this language is spoken.

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As said before, most language students choose to study two languages. Combinations are often different from a student to another even if we often find some like French/German, French/Spanish, Italian/Spanish and so on. You can of course choose to study "rare" languages such as Hebrew, Russian or Korean, it's up to you ! Most of time, this kind of degree has one or several compulsory modules and smaller range of optional ones than the degree above, though you can choose to study only what interests you, so you can often avoid either literature or else if you're not fond of it. You can also study three or more languages at universities like Durham or Southampton, but each language will probably be studied in less depth than a one or two languages degree.

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Finally, you can choose to study a language and to combine it with another subject you like, it all depends on the university. Half your degree will consist of modules about your language (a bit like a 2 language degree) and the rest will be about your other subject, be it Law, Psychology or else. This kind of degree allows you to study what you like and to keep learning a language you love, which is probably a good solution if you're opinion is divided in two options and that you have difficulty to choose which one you prefer.

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You are certainly studying a language at A-Level and maybe you want to keep studying it at uni, so that is a good start. You can also –if you’re are studying another one or more language – carry it/them on at uni at A-Level level. Or you can choose to start one from scratch or « ab initio ». This is often the option chosen by curious students that want to experiment Learning a totally new language.

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Anyway, you have to choose languages you love, whatever the reason. If you are motivated by how challenging the language can be, or because it is linked to your beliefs/heritage, then this can makes things easier for you. Don’t choose a language simply because it can be « useful », because there are probably sides of the language you won’t really like and it could put you off.

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In this post are opinions from other students about languages they’re studying/they study/want to study or speak fluently as their first or second language. Don’t hesitate to post yours, I’ll add them to the list :wink:

To find a course related to one or several of the languages listed above, have a look at the UCAS website.

A - "Classic" languages
Languages often picked by students, and that are usually studied at college.
- French
- German
- Spanish
- Italian

C - "Rare" languages
Sometimes chosen by students, but often massively under subscribed and only offered at a few universities.
- Middle Eastern languages (Persian, Turkish, Hebrew)
- Scandinavian languages (Finnish, Norwegian, Icelandic, Swedish and Danish)
- Slavonic languages (Polish, Czech, Bulgarian)
- Indian languages : Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi and Tamil
- Celtic languages (Gaelic, Welsh, Breton)

ah corrections in bold blue. hope that helps!

anyway, great thread and well done hopefully you will encourage more people to become linguists :biggrin:

when i have time i will write one on arabic for your approval :p:

Reply 28

OP

lavalse

ah corrections in bold blue. hope that helps!

anyway, great thread and well done hopefully you will encourage more people to become linguists :biggrin:

when i have time i will write one on arabic for your approval :p:

How come no one told me about this HUGE amount of mistakes ! That's mean :frown:

. Thanks a looot for the correction :hugs:

Reply 29

Angelil

19

Can you add a 'why you shouldn't be scared' bit to the part about the year abroad? It was the one thing that put me off doing a languages degree (good lady fear) and I regret it now.

I'll write something about my MSt in a momento :smile:

Reply 30

lavalse

Anatheme

How come no one told me about this HUGE amount of mistakes ! That's mean :frown:

. Thanks a looot for the correction :hugs:

i guess people cant be bothered because they can still understand you. but i sympathise, the only way i was able to learn french was from people correcting me, otherwise how are you meant to improve! so yeah, i hope it helps. i always appreciate corrections, so i hope you dont think im being mean!!

Reply 31

OP

lavalse

i guess people cant be bothered because they can still understand you. but i sympathise, the only way i was able to learn french was from people correcting me, otherwise how are you meant to improve! so yeah, i hope it helps. i always appreciate corrections, so i hope you dont think im being mean!!

Oh no ! That was mean NOT to correct me :p:

Reply 32

jonnythemoose

I only noticed a couple of mistakes in the first place... :p:

The only thing I'd correct you on Marion is your advertisement for the thread in your signature, whose wording sounds a little unnatural to me. I'd say "Want to study languages at university, but having trouble choosing your degree?" - definitely 'have' sounds wrong compared to 'having' - and leaving the first 'you' out just sounds much better for the context :colondollar:

Anyway, I recommend that this thread be sticked :yep:

Reply 33

Angelil

19

Postgraduate linguistic study

Which university?
Selecting a university for postgraduate study is in some ways very similar to when you were making your undergraduate selections: on a basic level, location is important (you need to enjoy being there and feel safe there) and feel that the course fulfils your needs and interests in terms of the modules etc available to you. Reputation of the university may also count to an extent, especially if you are considering working abroad later. However, reputation is not the obsession at postgraduate level that it can be at undergraduate level: it is far more important to pick the right course for you and to work with the people you want to work with (if your perfect supervisor is at Salford, then don't go for Oxford just for the sake of it!). The vast majority of master's candidates will be looking to progress to PhD later, so admissions tutors for these even more advanced courses will more be looking to see the people you've been working with and the projects you've been involved in, rather than at the prestige of the place where you've done it.

What type of course?
Most places will advertise their languages master's courses as an MA. However, Oxford and Cambridge are different. Oxford's one-year master's courses are MSt, and their two-year master's courses are MPhil. There appears to be very little difference between the MSt and the MPhil: on my linguistics course, students of the MSt and the MPhil attended the same classes, took the same final exams, and had to complete a dissertation of the same length. The MPhil grading was higher, however (you needed 60 to pass instead of 50, and 80 instead of 70 for a distinction), and of course you had an extra year to attend classes again if you felt you'd missed anything, as well as having longer to work on your thesis, which perhaps justifies its status as a research degree, while the MSt is classed as a taught course (i.e. with less time for research). It also incurs double the cost, which perhaps goes without saying... Cambridge's one-year master's courses are MPhil. You therefore need to decide principally, after finding a place that offers staff and modules/options that are attractive to you, whether you want/can afford a one-year or two-year course, whether you want more support on a taught course or more independence on a research course, and this may depend largely on what you choose to do afterwards.

Applying
You may apply for as many courses as you choose (or for as many courses as you're prepared to put up with the application paperwork for), including multiple courses at the same institution. This also applies to Oxford and Cambridge - you can apply for both institutions too, which isn't possible at undergraduate level. There is no centralised body like UCAS for postgraduate admissions - you apply to each course at each of the universities individually. These will all have their own deadlines, so make sure you stay organised.

Further education - master's level
Some courses will allow you to specialise straight away. Others (like the Linguistics MSt/MPhil at Oxford) require you to attend everything for the first term but allow you to do as you wish thereafter. You may also wish to look into the courses' proportion of seminars, lectures, tutorials, and independent study, which to some extent is indicated by whether the course is taught or research. Some courses will also allow you to opt out of a traditional thesis and instead go for a more fieldwork-based/research project.

Careers
As previously mentioned, many master's candidates go on to doctoral study. However, if this isn't your bag, there are several other career options, including primarily translation and education. I am currently working in the latter profession. The translation industry is extremely competitive, has very high standards, and you need to be very talented at what you do, so make sure you have very strong foundations in your language/s of choice before pursuing this career path.

Reply 34

etudiant

jonnythemoose

I only noticed a couple of mistakes in the first place... :p:

The only thing I'd correct you on Marion is your advertisement for the thread in your signature, whose wording sounds a little unnatural to me. I'd say "Want to study languages at university, but having trouble choosing your degree?" - definitely 'have' sounds wrong compared to 'having' - and leaving the first 'you' out just sounds much better for the context :colondollar:

Anyway, I recommend that this thread be sticked :yep:

Stuck?

Reply 35

jonnythemoose

etudiant

Stuck?

Argh - typo! That should've been stickied :smile:

Reply 36

etudiant

jonnythemoose

Argh - typo! That should've been stickied :smile:

Reply 37

lilangel890

Anatheme

Finally, you can choose to study a language and to combine it with another subject you like, it all depends on the university. Half your degree will consist of modules about your language (a bit like a 2 language degree) and the rest will be about your other subject, be it Law, Psychology or else. This kind of degree allows you to study what you like and to keep learning a language you love, which is probably a good solution if you're opinion is divided in two options and that you have difficulty to choose which one you prefer.

Thanks a lot, this is very helpful. How would I go about applying for a major/minor degree? I wish to do maths as my major and french as my minor. I cannot find anything on UCAS to help. Thanks :biggrin:

Reply 38

lavalse

lilangel890

Thanks a lot, this is very helpful. How would I go about applying for a major/minor degree? I wish to do maths as my major and french as my minor. I cannot find anything on UCAS to help. Thanks :biggrin:

well have you managed to find any courses offered by any unis that do maths with french?

you can use the course search on UCAS to look.

from a quick look the following unis seem to offer your combination in major/minor: aston, aberdeen, chester, greenwich, heriot-watt, manchester, royal holloway, sheffield, southapton and swansea!

what else did you need help with?

Reply 39

lilangel890