The Student Room Group

Is English a good degree?

Hey guys,

I've always really enjoyed English and judging by grades I seem to be good at it (only studied up to GCSE though). Do you think English is a good all round degree to have or just average? Honest opinions would be appreciated :smile:

If the answer is yes, which universities do you think have the best reputation for English?
Reply 1
Do you think English is a good all round degree to have or just average?


English lit is one of the most respected degrees - partly because it's very competitive to get a place at one of the more competitive universities.

Are you still doing GCSEs? If so, concentrate on those. Many of the top places will expect mainly A*/As to be a realistic candidate + AAA at A level.

If you do decide to pursue English, it would be a good idea to choose complementary subjects at AS: history, a language (they love that) or other essay subjects such as RE or philosophy. Steer away from less traditional subjects or choose no more than one of: sociology, psychology, drama, theatre studies.

which universities do you think have the best reputation for English?

As for reputation, there are endless threads on this in the English forum. Usually involve permutations of Oxbridge, York, UCL, Durham, Warwick, Bristol, Nottingham & Edinburgh etc. Places like Leeds & Cardiff also have excellent English departments and are slightly less competitive. Since English is so popular, even unis much further down the pecking order require good grades though.
Reply 2
do medicine,business, economics, law :smile:
Reply 3
If you have an interest and passion for English then it certainly is a good degree :smile:

It's traditional and probably has one of the better graduate employment records/prospects of the arts degrees. I could ramble on for ever here but, instead, I'll direct you toward the English wiki article

http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/wiki/English_Degree

"A degree in English encourages proficient skills in writing, communication and analysis. Graduates find employment in a diversity of areas, particularly law, journalism, the media, teaching, publishing, finance and consultancy. Of course, a proportion go on to study postgraduate research degrees"


But it is competitive with AAA-AAB the standard offer across many universities. Again, the wiki article discussed this in more depth and ha a list of unis and their requirements.

The strongest English departments include the usual suspects, Oxford, Cambridge, Durham, UCL, Warwick, York and some of the redbricks (Leeds and, to a lesser extent, Liverpool and Newcastle) and some Scottish ancients (St Andrews, Edinburgh and Glasgow). There are many others. But it's really important that you chose a course that interests in you. The focus of courses differ by department so course structure doesn't remain the same across all unis. In my opinion it's more important to chose a course that interests you than chose a uni based on ranking or something as abstract as reputation. Of course, if you are still taking your GCSEs then you don't need to worry about this too much yet.

If you have finished your GCSEs and are in your AS year then you'll find it hard getting onto an English couse without English lit at A-level.

I've moved this to the English subforum. You should get specialist advice here.
Reply 4
It's fun. You should study it. Thread closed.
River85
If you have an interest and passion for English then it certainly is a good degree :smile:

It's traditional and probably has one of the better graduate employment records/prospects of the arts degrees. I could ramble on for ever here but, instead, I'll direct you toward the English wiki article

http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/wiki/English_Degree

"A degree in English encourages proficient skills in writing, communication and analysis. Graduates find employment in a diversity of areas, particularly law, journalism, the media, teaching, publishing, finance and consultancy. Of course, a proportion go on to study postgraduate research degrees"


But it is competitive with AAA-AAB the standard offer across many universities. Again, the wiki article discussed this in more depth and ha a list of unis and their requirements.

The strongest English departments include the usual suspects, Oxford, Cambridge, Durham, UCL, Warwick, York and some of the redbricks (Leeds and, to a lesser extent, Liverpool and Newcastle) and some Scottish ancients (St Andrews, Edinburgh and Glasgow). There are many others. But it's really important that you chose a course that interests in you. The focus of courses differ by department so course structure doesn't remain the same across all unis. In my opinion it's more important to chose a course that interests you than chose a uni based on ranking or something as abstract as reputation. Of course, if you are still taking your GCSEs then you don't need to worry about this too much yet.

If you have finished your GCSEs and are in your AS year then you'll find it hard getting onto an English couse without English lit at A-level.

I've moved this to the English subforum. You should get specialist advice here.



hey you seem to know alot about an english degree. i have an offer for english, and i do enjoy it, but i'm afraid it will provide no pathways for me. i'm wondering if psychology would be the best route to follow instead? i have heard it opens up more doors. but an english degree is supposed to be more respected.
i'm very confused as to what to do at the moment. it's scary doing a course which isn't vocational. i really don't fancy teaching, but it's what i might have to do in future, cause other options are running low. any advice??