The Student Room Group

Ab Initio - A Bad Idea?

Hi,
I'm looking at applying to Sheffield Uni next year for a joint degree in Journalism and a MFL.
They offer several different courses - as I've only done French at A-Level, i would have the choice of continuing that, or starting Russian Ab Initio.

I love the idea of learning Russian, but in reality, I'm scared. 2 years of learning a language before being shipped abroad to live there for a year? Could I reach a decent standard while studying journalism at the same time?
Just how intense is an Ab Initio course?

I like to think I work hard, I like a challenge, and I've already had some experience of learning a more unusual language with a different alphabet, etc - I've just finished a beginners course in Japanese, which I've loved.
But I want to enjoy my time at uni, and my year abroad - is it common for Ab Initio to just be too much?

Thanks
Reply 1
polkadotpink
Hi,
I'm looking at applying to Sheffield Uni next year for a joint degree in Journalism and a MFL.
They offer several different courses - as I've only done French at A-Level, i would have the choice of continuing that, or starting Russian Ab Initio.

I love the idea of learning Russian, but in reality, I'm scared. 2 years of learning a language before being shipped abroad to live there for a year? Could I reach a decent standard while studying journalism at the same time?
Just how intense is an Ab Initio course?

I like to think I work hard, I like a challenge, and I've already had some experience of learning a more unusual language with a different alphabet, etc - I've just finished a beginners course in Japanese, which I've loved.
But I want to enjoy my time at uni, and my year abroad - is it common for Ab Initio to just be too much?

Thanks


Well, I won't lie, Russian is difficult. It's full of tricky grammar points and some stuff doesn't even seem to make sense, sometimes, haha. However, it's a lovely language, and really rewarding as when you find yourself able to read or communicate in Russian, it gives you this warm feeling inside. If you're committed and passionated enough about Russian, it can go very well, especially as you seem not be up for combined languages (it's probably easier to deal with Russian + something else rather than Russian + another language).

It's rather intensive as well, as you should reach A-Level standards in a year only. Apparently, the year abroad is fine, I guess you'll know enough for every day stuff, and your university may even send you to a language school when you're abroad, so I wouldn't worry too much about it.
Reply 2
Following what Anatheme said, Russian is indeed a difficult language and the pace will be pretty fast, but if learning languages is your thing then I think you'll love it.

I did Spanish ab initio and it's one of the best things I've ever done. The pace was fast, and from the very beginning we were writing things that were fairly advanced considering we were just armed with dictionaries, grammar books, and common sense. However, the teaching was very structures and after only a couple of months I felt very comfortable speaking Spanish, as comfortable even as French even though I've been learning French for years and was much better at it.
I spent a bit of time in Spain towards the end of first year and it drove all the stuff we'd learnt that year home, and I felt even more confident. After two years of such structures intensive teaching your worries about the year abroad will not be about your language skills.
I second/third Anatheme - IF you KNOW you will have the enthusiasm to study Russian despite it being confusing, very different to any language you have ever studied and at times just plain bizarre, you will have a great time on your year abroad, learn a very rewarding language and have something on your CV very few others do. Frankly, I'm still on the Russian half of my degree out of sheer bloody mindedness, but because I just don't have the work ethic, given my time again this is not the subject I would pick.

In your shoes I would take French as you'll be at a higher standard of it after 4 years than you will in Russian, but only you can say if you will be able to stick with it and work hard at it.

edit: btw I could barely string a sentence together when I arrived in Russia and the other day I explained the grammar school system and had a debate on socialism in Russian. You'll be fine on the year abroad.

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