UCL Language Centre?

OP

Angel Interceptor

Yes, you can take a course at the Language Centre even though it may not be offered as a part of your degree. I'm taking Mandarin at the moment, which has nothing to do with my degree and I'm just learning it in my own time for my own interest and benefit. I signed up for the 20 week course, which was £180, which works out as being fairly cheap per hour. The teachers at the centre are generally very good, so I'm sure you'll be able to pick up Japanese if you're determined to do so. Anyhows, I hope that this clears things up for you. :smile:

Thanks for the info. Meh, didn't know you had to pay for it. How are you finding Mandarin, do you feel it's worth it? How much time do you spend (studying) Mandarin each week?

Reply 3

Angel Interceptor

11

evilheat

Thanks for the info. Meh, didn't know you had to pay for it. How are you finding Mandarin, do you feel it's worth it? How much time do you spend (studying) Mandarin each week?

Yes, it's worth it, however Mandarin is a very difficult language to learn, and I think that my tutor is doing a very good job of guiding me through such an alien (to me) subject. I have a 2 hour class once a week, so it works out that you're paying about a tenner per week for your course, which I think is very reasonable, especially as class sizes are generally small - the most people that have ever turned up to my class is around ten, with the usual number being five-ish. I don't really do much/any practice outside of class, so I'm sure that I could get much more out of the course, however this has been due to my own laziness and some other commitments, so I guess that you'll only really get out what you put into the course. :smile:

Reply 4

Eh? Japanese can be taken as a part of your degree... I think...

Reply 5

Knogle

16

Angel Interceptor

Yes, you can take a course at the Language Centre even though it may not be offered as a part of your degree. I'm taking Mandarin at the moment, which has nothing to do with my degree and I'm just learning it in my own time for my own interest and benefit. I signed up for the 20 week course, which was £180, which works out as being fairly cheap per hour. The teachers at the centre are generally very good, so I'm sure you'll be able to pick up Japanese if you're determined to do so. Anyhows, I hope that this clears things up for you. :smile:

Ni hao ma? :biggrin:

Reply 6

OP

President_Ben

Eh? Japanese can be taken as a part of your degree... I think...

I'm not too sure of it, it's not listed as one of the languages available with my degree (V101).

Reply 7

evilheat

I'm not too sure of it, it's not listed as one of the languages available with my degree (V101).

Well, might just be your degree... I know with some degrees, you can...

Reply 8

OP

President_Ben

Well, might just be your degree... I know with some degrees, you can...

OK, thanks. Think I'll email some tutor or something and ask. But as we all know UCL aren't that great at replying to emails.

Reply 9

My friend did Japanese as part of her geology degree. Started from scratch aswell. Unless you do a subject whereby your modules are chosen for you (ie joint honors where you dont have many "free units") you should be allowed to take 1 unit a year of a language in the 2nd/3rd/4th year

You can also pay to do evening classes, which I did last year

Reply 10

parag

10

Doubt I could do Japanese as part of Medicine :biggrin:

I like the sound of taking language courses, though :smile:

Reply 11

OP

Ashman

My friend did Japanese as part of her geology degree. Started from scratch aswell. Unless you do a subject whereby your modules are chosen for you (ie joint honors where you dont have many "free units") you should be allowed to take 1 unit a year of a language in the 2nd/3rd/4th year

You can also pay to do evening classes, which I did last year

Good stuff. How did you find doing an evening class, could you cope with the extra workload?

Reply 12

matthia

I was just wondering, do you have to pay for all language courses at UCL?
And can students, studying a combined degree programme, take these courses?

Reply 13

Angel Interceptor

11

If you take evening classes, then you'll have to pay, however if you take it as a subsidiray module or option (even an outside option) as part of year degree, then you'll have formal lectures on it, as well as an exam, and will not have to pay.

Reply 14

evilheat

Good stuff. How did you find doing an evening class, could you cope with the extra workload?

Basically I dont care about getting a 1st and every grade I have ever had at UCL has been a 2:1. (im v constistant :smile:

) I dont work hard at all and therefore the work load didnt bother me. The work load only consisted of 1 hour a week homework, which wasnt enforced and so many people didnt bother doing (which I didnt get because why would you pay for something that you werent prepared to work for?)

I swear at university all you have to do to get a 2:1 is turn up to lectures and actually know how to present a logical arguement. Everyone lies about how hard they work at uni because noone wants to say "its fricking piss getting a 2:1 from my uni" cause then it makes their uni look crap.

The most work I ever did was for my GCSE's.

(btw im not boasting about how clever I am, most of my mates are getting 1st/2:1s in a wide variety of subjects, and none of them work espcially hard. My friend who does an engineering degree got the award for best student and he takes naps in lectures)

I cant remember what I paid. In all honesty it was a waste of time. I did French Level 1 and there were people in my class who had a very poor understanding of English, so were slow learners in French so most of the class was spent teaching them how to pronounce words which people with experiences of European languages would find easy. I take French as part of my degree this year and have found I have learnt alot more.

RE: Combined Degree: My gf does a combined degree and she wasnt allowed to take modules outside of her 2 departments, I dont know if this is just her departments policies though.

Reply 15

Which degree are you on? :confused:

I know plenty of people in plenty of degrees who bust their balls to get a safe 2.1

Reply 16

I am in the Faculty of Social and Historical Sciences . Im not really wanting to go into any more detail as if I told you what degree I do then people could easily find out who I really am via a google search.

Its not just my department though. I have friends who do engineering, sciences, social sciences, humanities and languages and they all find it easy to get 2:1s. They arent amazingly clever; they just do enough to get by.

When I first went to uni I was crapping myself over having to work 20 hours a week in the library. Then a third year in the pub told me this advice: To get a 1st you have to work damn fricking hard, to get a 2:2 you have to not do any work but to get a 2:1 you just have to be sensible.

I've had to pull some all nighters when I have forgotten about an essay due to the next day, but other than that I have never been truely overworked at UCL. I goto the pub, do societies and have been grad job searching (successfully :smile:

. I still manage to waste time going on internet forums like these :smile:

and other pointless things

Reply 17

SHS, so seven possible degrees. Having been Fac rep for it, I know them as for undergrad being Econ, Phil, Hist, Anthro, Geog, Hist of Art and SSEES.

Of those, 4 are arguably pretty doss. One of them certainly isn't. I don't many Economist, Lawyers, Architects or Medics who find things a doss and they are regularly considered the toughest and most valued degrees out of UCL accordingly.

Your grad job is?

Reply 18