Modern languages help!!!

Go where you will be happiest and which has the best course for you. Fellow languages student here! Some places are so different. Good luck for your exams - mine start Friday!!

Reply 2

TheBigJosh

Original post by callso

I have applied for German and Beginner's Spanish at Nottingham, Chester (was intended to be my insurance), Birmingham, Liverpool and Sheffield. However, after visiting the universities i found that i preferred Chester by far, do you think this will hurt my career prospects? I want to be a teacher so does University rep matter for teaching? Also (sorry to be piling on the questions) i have noticed that in 2014, Chester was 24th in the Guardian League tables, which i thought was good, and now its 63rd! How can it get so much worse in one year? Should i be worried? :frown:

In terms of which is prestigious - you've gone with the least. I might not matter in the long run, if you get a good degree. But to turn down the likes of Nottingham and Birmingham especially for Chester seems silly.
That said, it's your choice and league tables (especially the Guardian) are getting more ridiculous.

Reply 3

OP

I know i have chosen the least prestigious but does it really matter much? The reason i have chosen Chester is because its smaller (i preferred the fact that lecturers know your face and not just that your a number) and its over 70% coursework, which i definitely prefer. Furthermore, for teaching, French is most beneficial and at Chester i am best placed to learn it (they do introductory modules etc). I know Nottingham is THE better university but i just felt i would be happier at Chester and that the modules were more useful to me (TEFL at Chester vs role of women in Post War Belgian Cinema at Nottingham) :smile:

thank you for the advice i just felt i should go with i would be happier and not what would look best on my C.V :smile:

are the league tables that bad though? i just couldn't grasp how Chester has fallen nearly 40 places in one year!

Reply 4

OP

Original post by Paralove

Go where you will be happiest and which has the best course for you. Fellow languages student here! Some places are so different. Good luck for your exams - mine start Friday!!

Thank you! :smile:

are you studying A2's or AS's? Do you want to study languages at Uni? i have already done 3 exams (German speaking gone the best so far surprisingly) and my next is A2 German on monday, only language students can now how difficult these things are! :wink:

Reply 5

Original post by callso

Thank you! :smile:

are you studying A2's or AS's? Do you want to study languages at Uni? i have already done 3 exams (German speaking gone the best so far surprisingly) and my next is A2 German on monday, only language students can now how difficult these things are! :wink:

I am doing A2's in French, maths and geography - would have taken Spanish too but my school only offered French at GCSE so it wasn't gonna happen :frown:

I have offers for French and Spanish!!

I feel your pain :wink:

I'm aiming for an A* in French but they're next to impossible to get so I don't mind so much if I don't get that star!

Reply 6

OP

Original post by Paralove

I am doing A2's in French, maths and geography - would have taken Spanish too but my school only offered French at GCSE so it wasn't gonna happen :frown:

I have offers for French and Spanish!!

I feel your pain :wink:

I'm aiming for an A* in French but they're next to impossible to get so I don't mind so much if I don't get that star!

Ah my school only offered German, there are so many Unis that offer 3 languages but you need 2 language A levels :frown:

What unis did you apply to? Im aiming for a B in German, B in History and A* in Geography (i wish my German and Geography could swap) and the grade boundaries are so tight! its impossible :frown:

Reply 7

Original post by callso

Ah my school only offered German, there are so many Unis that offer 3 languages but you need 2 language A levels :frown:

What unis did you apply to? Im aiming for a B in German, B in History and A* in Geography (i wish my German and Geography could swap) and the grade boundaries are so tight! its impossible :frown:

Cambridge, Southampton (firm, insurance) , Bristol and Exeter.

Omg tell me about it!!! I'm looking at doing a third language - maybe Portuguese - in my spare time, provided I get any!!

I ought to get an A* in geography as its my best subject, and A in maths (A* will never ever happen thanks to Core 4) and at least an A in French.

The languages grade boundaries are horrible. You need much higher usually than other subjects, and they are very particular in the way they mark it!!

At least your school didn't mess up your AS exam though for German - for French, I wasn't allowed to control the listening tape at all, and had to listen to it all the way through without pausing it. Which, as you'll know is next to impossible. Plus it panicked me as I study French at another school, and take the exams at mine (joint sixth form) so I didn't even anyone to back me up in it. I'm still bitter... Makes me more determined for a top grade in French though :biggrin:

Reply 8

OP

Ah wow, i never even tried for Cambridge, i knew id never get in :wink:

and they are so high in comparison, especially for the Speaking i think :/ that's awful why did they not let you control it? But still to get a B when you had to listen to it straight through is still very impressive :smile:

Reply 9