The Student Room Group

Languages at uni

Hey,
I'm considering doing a joint degree at uni, being business management with a modern language, however I'm unsure on whether to carry on my German (I do it at A level) or take up Spanish at beginners level (I've always wanted to learn it as family live abroad). I do like German but Spanish has always appealed more to me, but I don't know whether not carrying it on would be something I would later regret after 7 years of learning it at school. What would you guys recommend, should I continue with my German or take up Spanish?
If you prefer Spanish then why not try that? Have a look at a beginners Spanish textbook to see if it appeals.

The one downside of Spanish to me is they speak so quickly I can’t follow what they are saying.
Original post by Jord.james
Hey,
I'm considering doing a joint degree at uni, being business management with a modern language, however I'm unsure on whether to carry on my German (I do it at A level) or take up Spanish at beginners level (I've always wanted to learn it as family live abroad). I do like German but Spanish has always appealed more to me, but I don't know whether not carrying it on would be something I would later regret after 7 years of learning it at school. What would you guys recommend, should I continue with my German or take up Spanish?

Go with Spanish, in my opinion. Alternatively, you could consider this: https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/undergraduate/courses/lang/mod-lang-business.aspx#CourseDetailsTab


40% of your time would be spent doing German

40% of your time would be spent doing Spanish

20% of your time would be spent doing Business Management

Original post by Jord.james
Hey,
I'm considering doing a joint degree at uni, being business management with a modern language, however I'm unsure on whether to carry on my German (I do it at A level) or take up Spanish at beginners level (I've always wanted to learn it as family live abroad). I do like German but Spanish has always appealed more to me, but I don't know whether not carrying it on would be something I would later regret after 7 years of learning it at school. What would you guys recommend, should I continue with my German or take up Spanish?

From a practical point of view, Spanish obviously has far more speakers than German does, and would probably be more 'useful' as a companion to Business Management. However, you already have a good start in German (probably something between A2 and B1) and could thus get to a higher level of proficiency were you to continue it at uni.
Original post by Jord.james
Hey,
I'm considering doing a joint degree at uni, being business management with a modern language, however I'm unsure on whether to carry on my German (I do it at A level) or take up Spanish at beginners level (I've always wanted to learn it as family live abroad). I do like German but Spanish has always appealed more to me, but I don't know whether not carrying it on would be something I would later regret after 7 years of learning it at school. What would you guys recommend, should I continue with my German or take up Spanish?

Hi there,

As someone who's both continued a language from A-Level and picked up one from beginners, I would personally recommend you continue the one you've already reached a good level in. Starting from beginners can be somewhat frustrating at times because you forget how long you were learning pre GCSE stuff and all the little details of the language you need to learn before you reach A-Level standard.

I'd also say that from my friends I've heard that Spanish is easier to learn than German, so it might be worth trying to pick it up in your own time. Learning a language at Uni is a really special time because (from my perspective) its the one time in my life I will have the time and motivations to really challenge myself in a language, as well as great teachers to help - therefore, pick the harder one!

Obviously its a choice you need to make for your own reasons, but if you have any questions about learning languages from scratch or continuing them into uni, please let me know!

Katie, 3rd year Modern Languages student at Uni of Bath

Quick Reply

Latest