English and/or languages at uni?

Do you/have you studied English/linguistics/other languages at university? If so, please tell me about your experience and the course itself, and how it can help you later on in life

Hi, as far as i see finding a skillful lecturer is a rare catch, im sorry.

Do you/have you studied English/linguistics/other languages at university? If so, please tell me about your experience and the course itself, and how it can help you later on in life

I'm currently studying English Literature at university! The course is quite broad compared to what you might be used to as you will have four modules (so four reading lists) in each term. Instead of focusing on one book/text over a long period of time, you will have one week for each text. The lectures usually go through the theory and main points/criticism to know about the author and text, and the seminar is the time you have to discuss your own opinions and ideas with other students. This means that you have to be a lot more independent whilst creating your own ideas- whereas in school your teacher may have helped you with this. Unlike other places, my university mainly grade us via a summative essay for each module, so you have plenty of time to draft and re-draft your final assessment.

I found it a little difficult to adjust at first! The fast pace can be hard to get used to, and you will need to read in large quantities if you don't already. There are ways to get around doing all the reading though- summaries, skim reading- so it's not all bad. I would recommend using the summer and breaks to read as much as you can though, it really will help in the long run. Now, I'm really enjoying it. You get to read a lot of things that you might not have even heard of, or things you might not have otherwise read if it wasn't on your reading list. I'm now planning for my dissertation that you will be supervised and assisted with.

We had the option to do a work placement module so we had the opportunity to use our skills from the degree in a working environment. I did archiving, though I personally don't know what I'd like to do when I graduate. I know several people on my course want to get into teaching which is a popular route, I think. Otherwise, English is easy to apply to many different careers like publishing, archiving, library services, and other sectors too because of the general skills you gain from studying the subject. I hope this gives you an idea

Do you/have you studied English/linguistics/other languages at university? If so, please tell me about your experience and the course itself, and how it can help you later on in life

That sounds really interesting, thank you so much!

The image doesn't seem to be working but you have made it sound really interesting and it's really useful

https://www.yorksj.ac.uk/courses/undergraduate/english-language-and-linguistics/english-language-and-linguistics-ba-hons/
So sorry that it didn't attach correctly, here is the link to the course programme if you would like to take a look.

Faye

Another English Language and Linguistics student here! I loved my undergrad at Sussex so much that I stayed for my MA, and am starting my PhD in the autumn! I think Faye has summed up the experience pretty well - linguistics in itself is such a broad discipline that there are so many opportunities to focus on what you like. In my experience people tend to go one of two ways: the structural route (that’s me!) which is more interested in how language is made up, the sound systems, grammar, word meaning and how we put words together etc, or the discourse-y route, focusing on how language is perceived, hidden meanings in language etc. Of course there are plenty of topics that combine both routes (sociolinguistics being a big one) but one tends to have a preference, and then approaches the topic from that perspective. I’m super biased but I think linguistics is suchhh a good subject and it surprises me that more people don’t study it! But we are kinda like a cool little club If there’s anything else I can help with give me a shout!