I'm stuck - politics+arabic or international relations at UoM

5

When i went to visit uni of Manchester i LOVED IT and i definitely want to apply there. I missed the IR talk so i didn't really interact with the department but i went to see thr Arabic and ME studies department and my dad and i sat down with a lecturer and a student and had such a nice chat. i absolutely loved the department. but i dont want to do Arabic and ME studies alone, i want to do IR/Politics. they offer the combo of politics and arabic but not the combo of IR and arabic, and they do offer IR alone. i'm not too keen on doing politics alone; i only want to do politics with IR.
So basically i don't know whether to apply for Politics and Arabic, or international relations but then not be able to study arabic alongside it, which i'm quite keen on as it was that department which really attracted me to UoM.
i suppose i could apply for both but that would require replacing one of my other 4 choices which im not sure i want to do.
any advice would be much appreciated.

Reply 1

Kuriknowsbest98

16

Original post

by emptyteacup

When i went to visit uni of Manchester i LOVED IT and i definitely want to apply there. I missed the IR talk so i didn't really interact with the department but i went to see thr Arabic and ME studies department and my dad and i sat down with a lecturer and a student and had such a nice chat. i absolutely loved the department. but i dont want to do Arabic and ME studies alone, i want to do IR/Politics. they offer the combo of politics and arabic but not the combo of IR and arabic, and they do offer IR alone. i'm not too keen on doing politics alone; i only want to do politics with IR.
So basically i don't know whether to apply for Politics and Arabic, or international relations but then not be able to study arabic alongside it, which i'm quite keen on as it was that department which really attracted me to UoM.
i suppose i could apply for both but that would require replacing one of my other 4 choices which im not sure i want to do.
any advice would be much appreciated.

If Arabic is a big part of what drew you to Manchester, then Politics & Arabic might actually suit you more than you think it still lets you study global issues, political systems, and the region you’re interested in. You’d still be developing the same kind of skills IR applicants need.
If you choose IR alone, you wouldn’t get the Arabic side you were excited about, so it depends on which part matters more: the subject combo or the specific IR label.
You can apply to both, but only if you’re happy giving up another choice. Some people do this when they love a uni and want two chances there, but it’s entirely personal.
Think about which option matches what you want day-to-day at uni, not just the course title. If Politics & Arabic gives you both politics and the department you loved, it’s worth serious consideration.

Reply 2

artful_lounger

Universities Forum Helper

21

Original post

by emptyteacup

When i went to visit uni of Manchester i LOVED IT and i definitely want to apply there. I missed the IR talk so i didn't really interact with the department but i went to see thr Arabic and ME studies department and my dad and i sat down with a lecturer and a student and had such a nice chat. i absolutely loved the department. but i dont want to do Arabic and ME studies alone, i want to do IR/Politics. they offer the combo of politics and arabic but not the combo of IR and arabic, and they do offer IR alone. i'm not too keen on doing politics alone; i only want to do politics with IR.
So basically i don't know whether to apply for Politics and Arabic, or international relations but then not be able to study arabic alongside it, which i'm quite keen on as it was that department which really attracted me to UoM.
i suppose i could apply for both but that would require replacing one of my other 4 choices which im not sure i want to do.
any advice would be much appreciated.

Firstly, I would note I don't see any single honours course in just "international relations". The only international relations undergraduate degree I see is the BSocSc in Politics and International Relations.

Secondly, I would point out if you actually compare the module offerings for each degree, the Arabic and politics course has the exact same politics and IR modules available as the politics and IR course, you just take fewer of them as you are also doing the Arabic modules.

You seem to be hung up on the fact one of the degree titles includes the phrase "international relations" while the other doesn't, despite there being no meaningful difference in available content aside from only doing part of the degree in the politics area.

Nobody, not employers, not future universities for graduate study, nobody cares what your degree name is. They care what your degree actually entailed in the detailed content you studied. You aren't going to be more or less employable because your degree is "Arabic and Politics" rather than your apparently desired "Arabic and International Relations".

Since clearly the Arabic and politics course actually meets all your requirements by giving you full range of the politics & IR modules while also including the Arabic side of the course, obviously the result is that you should just apply to that course.

I'm stuck - politics+arabic or international relations at UoM

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