uni ops studying linguistics
hey guys!! hope your all well <3
so heres the sitch, i want to study linguistics at university! but im not sure what to do.. i would love to go to edinburgh as the city is so beautiful and on one of the world ranking sites it says its number 3 (https://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/university-subject-rankings/2020/linguistics)! however i am slightly conflicted due to the four year degree system and i dont want to feel left behind kinda... has anyone felt like they lost a year due to doing a four year degree rather than three? (also at this point im not even considering whether i would be able to get in or not ahaha- i would also be an english applicant so im assuming it would be harder) however, i also saw that lancaster university was considered as number 3 in the uk for linguistics (https://www.thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk/league-tables/rankings/linguistics ) and started looking into it. i also found that i really did like the look of this place too. also im not really sure about the meanings of university rankings either because they seem to be very subjective according to who has made the rank. perhaps there are some other universities that i should consider more?
i am currently in year 12 studying a level english lit/lang, sociology and media studies and want to get one or two A's and B's (so like ABB or AAB or something- fingers crossed aha). at gcse i got an 8, 7, 7, 7, 6, 6, 55, 5, 5 (this was last year so these are the cags), so im not even sure if these options are even attainable for me. i'd also like to think i have a good amount of time to think about it but im incredibly indecisive so i would rather start thinking about it sooner rather than later. i am also doing epq (to do with linguistics) so i hope that helps too.
lastly (sorry for dragging this for so long), i know some career prospects are speech and language therapy, teaching, publishing, etc but are there any others i may have failed to consider? perhaps ones that are not so obvious? i am very willing (currently, it is subject to change xD) to go onto post grad study.
thanks so much
any and all help is much appreciated! (tbh im not really sure if i posted this in the right place- let me know if you think that there is a better place i could post this discussion)
so heres the sitch, i want to study linguistics at university! but im not sure what to do.. i would love to go to edinburgh as the city is so beautiful and on one of the world ranking sites it says its number 3 (https://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/university-subject-rankings/2020/linguistics)! however i am slightly conflicted due to the four year degree system and i dont want to feel left behind kinda... has anyone felt like they lost a year due to doing a four year degree rather than three? (also at this point im not even considering whether i would be able to get in or not ahaha- i would also be an english applicant so im assuming it would be harder) however, i also saw that lancaster university was considered as number 3 in the uk for linguistics (https://www.thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk/league-tables/rankings/linguistics ) and started looking into it. i also found that i really did like the look of this place too. also im not really sure about the meanings of university rankings either because they seem to be very subjective according to who has made the rank. perhaps there are some other universities that i should consider more?
i am currently in year 12 studying a level english lit/lang, sociology and media studies and want to get one or two A's and B's (so like ABB or AAB or something- fingers crossed aha). at gcse i got an 8, 7, 7, 7, 6, 6, 55, 5, 5 (this was last year so these are the cags), so im not even sure if these options are even attainable for me. i'd also like to think i have a good amount of time to think about it but im incredibly indecisive so i would rather start thinking about it sooner rather than later. i am also doing epq (to do with linguistics) so i hope that helps too.
lastly (sorry for dragging this for so long), i know some career prospects are speech and language therapy, teaching, publishing, etc but are there any others i may have failed to consider? perhaps ones that are not so obvious? i am very willing (currently, it is subject to change xD) to go onto post grad study.
thanks so much
any and all help is much appreciated! (tbh im not really sure if i posted this in the right place- let me know if you think that there is a better place i could post this discussion)(edited 3 years ago)
Unfortunately, I can't give much guidance regarding the linguistics side of your question. However, as someone who has graduated from Uni I can give (hopefully) some insight into your worries about doing a 4 year degree. For most people, university is some of the best years of your life and they would love doing a degree for four years! Lots of people who go to uni also end up enrolling into an extra year by doing a Master's, year abroad or year in industry (including myself!), and so end up doing 4/5 years anyway. In terms of 'being a year behind' for employers, I wouldn't worry about this at all. Lots of people don't get a job straight out of uni, and so it's perfectly normal for employers to look at people from all ages - and you'd still be young when you graduate anyway! In my opinion, you'd gain a year of amazing life experiences rather than feeling like you'd 'lost a year'! Especially with the uncertainty of COVID, I'd be really encouraging of a 4th year.
Doing your EPQ on linguistics is an excellent step! I did my EPQ to help with my application and this really helped. I did a whole paragraph in my uni app on it. If you can, do as well as possible in this because some unis might consider a lower offer for you if you have an A/A* in your EPQ. You might want to research if this is applicable for any unis you are applying to. This policy was very useful for me, I got 2 grades lower than I was supposed to, but I was still allowed in to law school because I did well in my EPQ.
In terms of worrying about whether you'd get in with certain grades, I was really worried about this too when I was looking at applying. I found my dream uni but didn't know whether I would get the grades. My careers adviser told me that there wasn't any harm in taking the chance and applying, and if I got rejected I had my 4 other options or could try again the year after. I took her advice and ended up at the uni! As cheesy as it sounds, you miss every chance you don't take! If you would regret not trying for Edinburgh and are willing to work really hard to up your chances, then I would say to go for it! You have 4 other ucas options to fall back on, or could even take a year out and wait again.
Best of luck for your apps, and don't worry to much
Especially with the uncertainty of COVID, I'd be really encouraging of a 4th year. Doing your EPQ on linguistics is an excellent step! I did my EPQ to help with my application and this really helped. I did a whole paragraph in my uni app on it. If you can, do as well as possible in this because some unis might consider a lower offer for you if you have an A/A* in your EPQ. You might want to research if this is applicable for any unis you are applying to. This policy was very useful for me, I got 2 grades lower than I was supposed to, but I was still allowed in to law school because I did well in my EPQ.
In terms of worrying about whether you'd get in with certain grades, I was really worried about this too when I was looking at applying. I found my dream uni but didn't know whether I would get the grades. My careers adviser told me that there wasn't any harm in taking the chance and applying, and if I got rejected I had my 4 other options or could try again the year after. I took her advice and ended up at the uni! As cheesy as it sounds, you miss every chance you don't take! If you would regret not trying for Edinburgh and are willing to work really hard to up your chances, then I would say to go for it! You have 4 other ucas options to fall back on, or could even take a year out and wait again.
Best of luck for your apps, and don't worry to much
Original post by etc-etc
Unfortunately, I can't give much guidance regarding the linguistics side of your question. However, as someone who has graduated from Uni I can give (hopefully) some insight into your worries about doing a 4 year degree. For most people, university is some of the best years of your life and they would love doing a degree for four years! Lots of people who go to uni also end up enrolling into an extra year by doing a Master's, year abroad or year in industry (including myself!), and so end up doing 4/5 years anyway. In terms of 'being a year behind' for employers, I wouldn't worry about this at all. Lots of people don't get a job straight out of uni, and so it's perfectly normal for employers to look at people from all ages - and you'd still be young when you graduate anyway! In my opinion, you'd gain a year of amazing life experiences rather than feeling like you'd 'lost a year'! Especially with the uncertainty of COVID, I'd be really encouraging of a 4th year.
Doing your EPQ on linguistics is an excellent step! I did my EPQ to help with my application and this really helped. I did a whole paragraph in my uni app on it. If you can, do as well as possible in this because some unis might consider a lower offer for you if you have an A/A* in your EPQ. You might want to research if this is applicable for any unis you are applying to. This policy was very useful for me, I got 2 grades lower than I was supposed to, but I was still allowed in to law school because I did well in my EPQ.
In terms of worrying about whether you'd get in with certain grades, I was really worried about this too when I was looking at applying. I found my dream uni but didn't know whether I would get the grades. My careers adviser told me that there wasn't any harm in taking the chance and applying, and if I got rejected I had my 4 other options or could try again the year after. I took her advice and ended up at the uni! As cheesy as it sounds, you miss every chance you don't take! If you would regret not trying for Edinburgh and are willing to work really hard to up your chances, then I would say to go for it! You have 4 other ucas options to fall back on, or could even take a year out and wait again.
Best of luck for your apps, and don't worry to much
Especially with the uncertainty of COVID, I'd be really encouraging of a 4th year. Doing your EPQ on linguistics is an excellent step! I did my EPQ to help with my application and this really helped. I did a whole paragraph in my uni app on it. If you can, do as well as possible in this because some unis might consider a lower offer for you if you have an A/A* in your EPQ. You might want to research if this is applicable for any unis you are applying to. This policy was very useful for me, I got 2 grades lower than I was supposed to, but I was still allowed in to law school because I did well in my EPQ.
In terms of worrying about whether you'd get in with certain grades, I was really worried about this too when I was looking at applying. I found my dream uni but didn't know whether I would get the grades. My careers adviser told me that there wasn't any harm in taking the chance and applying, and if I got rejected I had my 4 other options or could try again the year after. I took her advice and ended up at the uni! As cheesy as it sounds, you miss every chance you don't take! If you would regret not trying for Edinburgh and are willing to work really hard to up your chances, then I would say to go for it! You have 4 other ucas options to fall back on, or could even take a year out and wait again.
Best of luck for your apps, and don't worry to much
first of all, thank you so much for the reply! it is much appreciated!! this has given me lots of relief!! im definitely gonna aim to do well in my epq if it can help me that much! thanks for the input
Hi, avid language learner and linguistics enthusiast here - you should definitely do an EPQ related to linguistics. This will show your genuine interest and passion for the subject outside of the general academic curriculum, which will boost your application. Do lots of thorough research for it and try not to leave the other documents until last minute (project proposal forms etc.). As long as you enjoy what you're researching, it shouldn't be too challenging. I am about to start a 4 year long degree (one year being abroad) and honestly, I think it just adds to the experience. Lots of people are on courses that last 4 years so you will not feel left behind. You're much more independent at uni so in the grand scheme of things, it only matters if you enjoy the course and feel it will be time well spent. The fact that you're in year 12 and already contemplating this tells me that you're most likely going to be fine. Focus on your studies and getting those grades first. You have enough time to browse courses in the summer before you start year 13 and begin your application. Good luck!
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