Post your stereotypical views of students..

The main stereotype of linguists is that we all speak about ten languages and are hardcore grammar nerds.

Does anyone have any opinions on linguists? Anyone at all?

I don't understand why you can hate someone who has a genuine interest in the subject, and are compassionate for other human beings.

For some strange reason I've always thought that linguists are just looking for a relatively easy way into diplomatic jobs or the business/financial world. There is not pure linguistic department at my uni, only in combination with International Relations or a business-related degree but I've seen the ones in Bristol (yes.. Brizzle again ) and they're quite stuck up & emphasize how 'well rounded' they are!

Haaaa oh god, us linguists at UCL are like the polar opposites I think almost all of us treat the degree as a bit of a joke, not because it's easy but because it's not what any of us were expecting really, so we're all pretty bitter. Most of us want to be doing something in humanities, but realised this too late. Dayum.

Oh dear, can I ask how was it different to what you were expecting? I'm thinking of applying...

Well, let's just say, if you're REALLY REALLY into grammar you'll be fine... however, if, like the rest of us, it's not really the most fascinating of topics, you'll get quite bored. Is it UCL specifically you're thinking of applying to? Other unis seem to have courses with much less of a grammar-heavy focus

I can imagine there are worse courses to do, but I dunno, personally I've found it pretty dry and hard to engage with so far... I don't want to put you off if it's what you're interested in though!

Thanks for replying! UCL is one of the ones I'm seriously thinking about, though this, and other accounts, has put me off a bit. The course seemed quite balanced on the website but I guess that can be misleading. I like grammar well enough but I'm a lot more interested in other aspects of the subject, as in history, literature etc. Out of interest, what year are you in and what languages are you studying? Thanks

No problem! Yeah, a lot of people feel a bit misled by the information on the website to be honest... most of the department are syntacticians so if it's not your thing then it can be a bit overwhelming being surrounded by lecturers who are clearly all very into it... I don't think UCL even offers a history of language module to my knowledge, though there may be a chance to pick one up at another London uni? I'm hoping it'll improve next year when we get the choice to take optional modules like sociolinguistics... To be honest York's course looked perfect for me, but I got a bit blinded by UCL's reputation and it's where I ended up!

I've just finished my first year, and though we can't do any extra languages this year, lots of the lectures (the syntax ones) focus on German and Italian as case studies if that's of any interest to you, and I might pick up a beginner module in Norwegian or something next year from the SSEES department

Ecology or some kind of conservation?

Math/physics - Either anti-social or extremely witty people! Generally quite down to earth but can come across as rather plain and boring at times. Generally dresses quite liberally/new age

Psychology/Sociology - Social people. At times a bit too social. However a few of them are quite introverted and weird but the majority are social and very outgoing. Can be quite prententious and arrogant but are generally down to earth. Some of them are obssessed with logic (caused by the style of essay writing in psychology). Dresses casually and it's sometimes possible to distinguish them from other based on their clothing attire. Alcoholists.

Computer Science - IMO a vast majority of them are extreme slackers who enjoy whining about how much work they have (though this is a characteristic shared by many students). The weird thing I've noticed about comp sci students is that, from my experience, none of them are particularly interested in new technology! I've never seen a comp sci with an overly advanced phone or an ipad!

comp sci students?

Haaaa oh god, us linguists at UCL are like the polar opposites I think almost all of us treat the degree as a bit of a joke, not because it's easy but because it's not what any of us were expecting really, so we're all pretty bitter. Most of us want to be doing something in humanities, but realised this too late. Dayum.