Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Education

Join the discussion on our Education forum.

Flip

1 2 3

Original poster

English language degree - worth doing?

66 replies

CarolinaMooncup · 21/04/2006 14:04

dp's younger brother is thinking of studying English language at university. I was a bit suprised to find you can actually do it tbh - has anyone done it or know whether it's interesting and/or a good degree to have?

Dp's bro is bright and will prob get As and Bs at A level (inc english lang. He isn't doing eng lit btw).

TIA

OP posts:

fennel · 27/04/2006 17:15

well, exactly, hence the vital importance of psycho- and socio-linguistics in understanding how language works!

fennel · 27/04/2006 17:19

Sp, i did find the phd a bit too much like hard work, yes.

fennel · 27/04/2006 17:28

my phd topic always was just a little bit of a thread-killer....

JanH · 27/04/2006 17:35

SP, will you be having vacancies for programmers in Granada? I'll suggest it to her!

Current plan is to do a PGCE for primary in Sept 07 - she has some travelling to do first.

fennel, promise you will tell essbee and me and anyone else who turns up all about your thesis next week

fennel · 27/04/2006 17:59

we can talk about the weather and the beaches and things like that.

SenoraPostrophe · 27/04/2006 18:01

that's right jan. we could do with an experienced one really, but would consider a promising trainee.

wordgirl · 27/04/2006 18:22

JanH, was your DD at Leeds Uni? I did my single honours Linguistics and Phonetics degree there - 19 years ago! There were only six of us on the course.
I was originally studying French but found the language side of it much more interesting than the literature and decided to change course after two terms.
It was a really interesting subject and I'm glad I studied it. However, I now make a living (if you can call it that) from.... typing!

JanH · 27/04/2006 18:41

Yes, she was, wordgirl - and there weren't many more than that on hers! She missed the summer graduation because she was abroad but I have seen the pics and there were about 15 on them.

She loved the course and Leeds and got a 2.1 so you're right, SP, not a waste of time (but her best subjects at A level were History and Politics and I do feel she might have got more out of one/both of them at degree level).

Bozza · 27/04/2006 21:01

See JanH I did the degree and then became a programmer - fell into it rather than chose though but have always been very capable at it so maybe there is something in that. Didn't go to Leeds because too close to home.

JanH · 27/04/2006 21:08

It seemed just far enough for us, Bozza, but you were that bit nearer, weren't you?

Falling into programming might be a good way for her to go - I'll suggest it!

honeyflower · 27/04/2006 21:30

CarolinaMooncup, do you think your dp's brother realises that English Language at University is VERY different from the subject that goes under the same name at school? To all intents and purposes, at a good university it more or less IS linguistics. If he thinks it involves the same kind of activities as A-level English language (such as imagining you're a journalist and writing x kind of story), he will get a rude shock.

I have a friend who lectures on an English Lang and Linguistics degree. Every October, they have a problem with students who didn't really understand what they were letting themselves in for wanting to change courses. They would really prefer students to get a clear sense of what a degree in English Language involves, e.g. by following up the illustrative reading suggestions that a lot of prospectuses and websites offer.

Pruni · 27/04/2006 21:56

at how many people with TEFL experience I see on MN (and really, TEFL linguistics is so lite, isn't it? Compared to the Real Thing.)

I am PMSL at Moondog writing her diary in IPA. You weirdo!!!

CarolinaMoonfish · 28/04/2006 15:01

Honeyflower, that is very useful to know, thanks.

plummymummy · 28/04/2006 16:33

My language A' Level was purely linguistics (syntax, context, phonetics etc.) and no opportunity to write articles. Maybe A'Level syllabus' vary? Or should that be syllabi?!

CarolinaMoonfish · 28/04/2006 16:41

little BIL is deffo doing one that involves that kind of writing for different audiences/in different contexts, as well as the linguistics.

twocatsonthebed · 28/04/2006 17:11

I'd always fancied a degree in language/linguistics!

I work in the media, and recruit quite a bit, and I don't think it matters what he does at uni, as long as he's interested in it. The main thing, as others have said, is that he does as much student journalism as he can, and tries to get work experience etc in the holidays. (So to some extent, one thing he needs to consider is whether the subject is laid-back enough for him to do this!)

And even then, most people nowadays do a post-graduate cert in journalism - City of London, Preston and Cardiff are all good places. My brother did this after his Politics degree (and several years of indecisiveness as a cycle courier) and didn't have problems getting work after that.

Mind you, there are as many ways in as there are jobs; I ended up in the media after degrees in Engl Lit and Design History, and have never had a day's training in my life...

Flip

1 2 3

Swipe left for the next trending thread