Universities

So on my UCAS application I have put down Bath, Surrey, Royal Holloway, UCL. I’m stuck between choosing bristol/KCL/SOAS and Queen Mary ( however QMUL isn’t very high on the rankings). I just wanted to know from anyone’s experience studying modern languages at any of these unis, and if one is better than the other. Surrey is higher in modern languages than the rest of my options according to the rankings, but I wanted to know from a student.

I am very highly considering Bath though, having been to Discover and the open day yesterday, but I’m finding the idea of living in accom quite scary, how is the first week living in the university like? (just want to throw this question at any bath student)

P.S. I don't like literature much, so would be looking for a degree with the least amount of it as possible, which I know Bath do.

Reply 1

Wokeverhampton

7

Hello,

I'm not a modern languages graduate, but I am a graduate of five different universities, so I come from this background.

Wherever possible, traditional wisdom would tell you to go for the best-rated university you can enter, as this will have a bearing on your employability. I did my PGCE at Cambridge University, and it enabled me to get teaching jobs in private schools I would otherwise not have had a chance of bagging.

Contrary to this wisdom is my opinion. Let's say you need BBB for your course, and these you get. You'll be competing for first and upper-second-class degrees with peers who have at least these grades or much better. You'll be an intelligent fish in a pond of super-intelligent sharks. In this case, attending a less prestigious university that calls for CCC or less to do the same course is better. You'll now be the super-intelligent shark. I'm using this logic by studying at the University of Wolverhampton, where entrance requirements are very low, instead of King's College, London, the best university for War Studies.

All the best,

Kit

Reply 2

McGinger

18

The usual advice for your 5 UCAS choices in terms of grade requirements is :

1 or 2 just above your predicted grades - one grade and not in a vital subject (for languages you could risk 2 choices at this level)
2 or 3 at your predicted grades
1 choice at least one grade below your predicted grades

This means you will potentially have a range of offers to choose your Firm and Insurance from and can make some realistic choices considering how you feel A levels etc are going next Easter and what your August results might be.

Forget rankings and all similar nonsense - that stuff cannot tell you if you will enjoy that course or like being at that Uni.
All of the Unis you are looking at are perfectly sensible Unis and if you like the course, its a solid choice.

PS. The reality-shock of an Open Day and realising this involves leaving home etc, is totally normal.
That is part of the reason for doing Open Days, its a gradually adjustment to the whole idea of going to Uni.
Here's the Freshers Week timetable for Bath - all very normal 'get used to being here' stuff - https://www.thesubath.com/freshers/2023/
The advantage of Bath is that its a small campus Uni and is much easier to adjust to than some of the very big city Unis.

Reply 3

University of Surrey Student Rep

Official Rep

15

Original post by amel.z0

So on my UCAS application I have put down Bath, Surrey, Royal Holloway, UCL. I’m stuck between choosing bristol/KCL/SOAS and Queen Mary ( however QMUL isn’t very high on the rankings). I just wanted to know from anyone’s experience studying modern languages at any of these unis, and if one is better than the other. Surrey is higher in modern languages than the rest of my options according to the rankings, but I wanted to know from a student.

I am very highly considering Bath though, having been to Discover and the open day yesterday, but I’m finding the idea of living in accom quite scary, how is the first week living in the university like? (just want to throw this question at any bath student)

P.S. I don't like literature much, so would be looking for a degree with the least amount of it as possible, which I know Bath do.

Hello!

I studied my undergraduate course at the University of Surrey in Modern Languages (French and Spanish). I love the campus and the connectedness of the department.

One unique aspect of Surrey's programme is its focus on practical language skills. Unlike many other programmes, there's no heavy emphasis on literature – you're not required to read specific books. Some students do choose to work on individual projects related to literature, but there's no pressure to do so. Surrey is known for its strong translation modules, so if you have an interest in that field, it might be a better fit for you.

I recommend taking a look at the module contents to get a better understanding of what each course offers. If you have any specific questions, feel free to ask me 😊

Thanks,
Sam (she/her)
Modern Languages (French and Spanish) Graduate

Reply 4

artful_lounger

Universities Forum Helper

21

What language(s) are you actually planning to study? SOAS doesn't teach European languages so I suspect has minimal overlap with the others. On the other hand if you want to study an Asian or Middle Eastern language SOAS is probably the best or second best option for any such language as it's their specialism. They're also the only place I'm aware that you can study African languages as an undergraduate in the UK.

(edited 7 months ago)

Reply 5

amel.z0

OP

10

Original post by University of Surrey Student Rep

Hello!

I studied my undergraduate course at the University of Surrey in Modern Languages (French and Spanish). I love the campus and the connectedness of the department.

One unique aspect of Surrey's programme is its focus on practical language skills. Unlike many other programmes, there's no heavy emphasis on literature – you're not required to read specific books. Some students do choose to work on individual projects related to literature, but there's no pressure to do so. Surrey is known for its strong translation modules, so if you have an interest in that field, it might be a better fit for you.

I recommend taking a look at the module contents to get a better understanding of what each course offers. If you have any specific questions, feel free to ask me 😊

Thanks,
Sam (she/her)
Modern Languages (French and Spanish) Graduate

hi! how big is campus. i'm going to the open day but I do want an idea of the campus features.
do students go on to great placements in their third year, and what's accomodation like?

Reply 6

amel.z0

OP

10

Original post by artful_lounger

What language(s) are you actually planning to study? SOAS doesn't teach European languages so I suspect has minimal overlap with the others. On the other hand if you want to study an Asian or Middle Eastern language SOAS is probably the best or second best option for any such language as it's their specialism. They're also the only place I'm aware that you can study African languages as an undergraduate in the UK.

i want to study french post a level and either german or spanish ab initio. i would want to study arabic but only as a non degree

Reply 7

artful_lounger

Universities Forum Helper

21

Original post by amel.z0

i want to study french post a level and either german or spanish ab initio. i would want to study arabic but only as a non degree

Ok well SOAS doesn't offer any of those languages except Arabic. So you can cross that one off your list.

Reply 8

University of Surrey Student Rep

Official Rep

15

Original post by amel.z0

hi! how big is campus. i'm going to the open day but I do want an idea of the campus features.
do students go on to great placements in their third year, and what's accomodation like?

Hey @amel.z0

I hope you are doing alright!

The Surrey Campus is divided in two. One being the main and largest at Stag Hill, where most courses and accommodations are located. With manor house being 10 minutes away, as well as Hazel farm being around 40 min (Accommodation only). The main campus has many facilities, including: restaurants, library, courses focused buildings, small parks and else. I would say it takes around no more than 10 minutes going from one point to the other by walking.

Surrey Uni has a lot of options and extra support for placement, I am currently in the process of starting mine, yet it would like a more in-depth response about that, I would recommend to speak personally to one of your ambassadors if you are further curious, here.

Accommodation will highly depend on your band of choice. They go from A to F, plus family and staff houses. They do have all you could need depending of your needs, you can also check it out on the website here.

I hope this answer some of your curious, do let us know if you have any other or you would like for me to expand some more!

Have a great day!
Debora, 2nd Psychology student.

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