taking only languages ab initio at uni

Is it possible to just study 2 languages ab-initio at university? I want to do Russian and Arabic at university from scratch but only have one language (French) at a-level, as my school did not offer Russian or Arabic. I wouldn’t want to take French further into university as a third with Russian and Arabic as I just want to focus on those two.

(edited 1 year ago)

Reply 1

Lancaster Student Ambassador

Official Rep

15

Original post by i330

Is it possible to just study 2 languages ab-initio at university? I want to do Russian and Arabic at university from scratch but only have one language (French) at a-level, as my school did not offer Russian or Arabic. I wouldn’t want to take French further into university as a third with Russian and Arabic as I just want to focus on those two.

Hey there,
I think this would depend on the university and the course itself, as many have different requirements. It may be worth just having a browse of different courses- such as Russian and Arabic degrees- that are on offer and have a look at entry requirements, there are so many different courses I am sure you will find something!
Hope that helps,
Kat

Reply 2

hyacinth77

16

Original post by i330

Is it possible to just study 2 languages ab-initio at university? I want to do Russian and Arabic at university from scratch but only have one language (French) at a-level, as my school did not offer Russian or Arabic. I wouldn’t want to take French further into university as a third with Russian and Arabic as I just want to focus on those two.

Late reply but I'm pretty sure this isn't possible simply due to the sheer amount of work it would require to get up to speed with not one but two new languages

Reply 3

artful_lounger

Universities Forum Helper

21

Original post by i330

Is it possible to just study 2 languages ab-initio at university? I want to do Russian and Arabic at university from scratch but only have one language (French) at a-level, as my school did not offer Russian or Arabic. I wouldn’t want to take French further into university as a third with Russian and Arabic as I just want to focus on those two.

Usually it's not possible to study 2 languages from scratch, although some unis may permit this. It's even less typical to be able to combine a non-European language from scratch with a European language from scratch (or indeed often, any other language), as usually these have to be taught more intensively initially due to being less similar to languages you would be familiar with and hence often harder at first to get used to.

Off the top of my head I think the only two unis where you might be able to do that combination from scratch are Leeds and St Andrews - you'd need to check with them if they will allow you to do both ab initio though. Most others that I think offer both languages require at least one (usually Russian) to have been done to A-level as far as I've seen? There might be some that I missed though.

It is worth considering whether that is a realistic goal though, since as noted non-European languages are often harder to pick up, and from what I've heard Russian is quite challenging as well. Will you be able to realistically achieve the level of language proficiency desired even if you can in theory do them both from scratch, rather than doing one intensively with a language you've already studied, or by itself?

Reply 4

a.a3184

6

Original post by i330

Is it possible to just study 2 languages ab-initio at university? I want to do Russian and Arabic at university from scratch but only have one language (French) at a-level, as my school did not offer Russian or Arabic. I wouldn’t want to take French further into university as a third with Russian and Arabic as I just want to focus on those two.

Yep at Cambridge you can!

taking only languages ab initio at uni

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