English Lit vs Lang AT UNIVERSITY

Hi,

I know English Lit graduates are very saught for by employers; for example, my friend was just telling me how there were more history and english graduates in the final stages of a Deloitte Internship Scheme than there were finance graduates.

What about English Language though? What kind of stuff do you study?

I have unconditionals for both Lit and Lang and am trying to choose between the two. Also, which is best for a career in media / radio / broadcasting?

I have unconditionals for both Lit and Lang and am trying to choose between the two. Also, which is best for a career in media / radio / broadcasting?

**Please note, this account is being used by a current Student Ambassador from The University of Reading**
Hiya!
I just finished an English Lit and International Relations degree,
Anja

I haven't studied either at uni (Yet! Starting a lit and creative writing course in September) but when I went on the Huddersfield open day I sat in on an introduction to the language course. The tutor explained the development of the English language. They showed examples of text and speech going back centuries and centuries to the point where it looked practically alien. He then asked us to put each extract in order from oldest to most modern. It wasn't easy!

Judging on that, and my A-level language and lit experiences, a language degree would be very critical of language change, history and influence. Whereas lit is more how the language is used to express themes, emotions, ideas etc. Does that make sense? Sorry for my limited knowledge. :-P

Haven't studied at University yet (UCL for Lit. in September), but having done both English Lit. and Lang. as separate A-Levels, I have a little insight.

The study of English Language is incredibly broad, with a lot of yet uncovered ground. Courses cover everything from language change, to language and sexuality, to regional accents, to mode and what defines the difference between written/spoken language. English Language can definitely be seen as more of a science than a humanity, especially when you look at the studies. Honestly, it really depends on the course.

As to which is better for careers in "media", I would actually argue Lit. Most major broadcasters/journalists etc. have degrees in English Literature. Part of what convinced me to apply to UCL was that they send graduates of my course to the BBC and 'The Times'. That isn't to say that you couldn't go from a Lang. degree to a career in media, at all, I'm just offering up a train of thought.

In my opinion, you just have to go for what you find interesting. You have to study it for three years. Look closely at the courses of your unconditionals, take a look at the destinations of the graduates and go from there.

Hope this was at least a little helpful!

Change, history, influence.. all of my favourite themes that I discovered whilst studying English lit at A-Level! Hey, you have more knowledge than me, especially in the language field. The thing is, I'm more of a writer than a reader, albeit the two are mutually exclusive. I enjoy creating more than learning if you see what I mean. It's quite cool that you are set to study creative writing, I've done some myself 8-)

Glad I could help! Hopefully our combined responses have helped you get a bit closer to deciding which course you'd prefer. :-)

yeh kind of 8-)

what kind of creative writing do you do?

Prose :-) I don't stick to one genre but I do like dystopian, mainly because I can criticise society and make predictions! I have tried poetry once or twice but it sucks.

what about you?

I don't see how it fits in with media, radio, or boradcasting, I'm afraid. You can get involved in that separately, as universities will have student radios and such that you can join irrelevant of your course.

I have always found it interesting when authors decide to critisize politics through dystopian fiction. The world's ****ed up as it is ! The only way, in my opinion, we can bring the world to a state of peace is to simply wait it out. 'Cos it seems that the "highers" of the world can only, and do only, condemn whats been done once its been done.

I've given a go at poetry too; mine's *******s also :P I'm giving prose a go as we speak, working to give my friend a chapter every two days. It's wicked to know that someone else my age is into creative writing. It's somewhat of a secret for me lol

True! If people read anything dystopian that I wrote I'm not naive enough to think it'd make things change. For me it's a fun activity thinking up these different scenarios.

Yeah, not many young people like it. Or they write really crappy fanfic.
So is writing something you've started doing recently? :-)

Hmm, I see what you mean. But then again, English Literature on its face does not seem to relate to media in any sense [apart from being a literary critic]. So why does the degree fare so well in that mode of business?

So is writing something you've started doing recently? :-)

Maybe it does, I dunno. I was just saying that I can't see any relation personally. If I had to guess, I'd say that, since English doesn't really lead anywhere specific, grads have to go into areas where you don't need a skill that you've learned and refined for years and years. No disrespect to radio, but you could do that easier from scratch than designing a website or being an accountant.

So is that what you're gonna end up doing then? Applying for just standard graduate-level jobs?

Nah but I used to write here and there just 'cos.. well.. Writing is quite healthy for the mind. But, yeah, I've finished a Tv script, starting a novel and starting a screenplay. But Godnoes which one of them I'm actually gonna finish.

Wbu

****in ell i'm writing you essays !

Lol, I wish. Generic grad schemes are hyper competitive; I've been rejected by all but one that I've applied for. I got down to the last six for one job, but that's the closest I've been. When you consider the amount of people graduating with these types of degrees - the ones that don't lead to anything specific - then you start to realise just how many people you're competing with.

I have a friend who's done a computing degree and he's walked into a job easy, on around 25k. Tonnes of coding jobs around, tonnes of promotion possibilities; he's sorted. Meanwhile, I'm applying for every job in the surrounding areas, exciting possibilities such as hotel cleaner and gas meter reader.

You've probably figured out by now that I'm not particularly pleased I chose my degree! I was pretty naive back then. Now I realise that you have to pick a degree that leads to a career, not something you'll enjoy buy leads no where. Realistically, you need to be putting yourself in a good financial position before you pursue your interests. The fact that you made a topic unsure of whether to do two completely different subjects makes me think that you're in a position not too dissimilar to me. My advice to you would just be to think about your career; that's what you're gonna be doing for 50 years. Browse some job sites to see what sort of skills seem to be wanted, what pays well, what's prominent in your local area, etc. Turns out my town is full of coding jobs, which is why I've mentioned that a few times.