MA Applied Linguistics - preparation advice

[Linzie79]

I'm starting an MA in Applied Linguistics (UK) in October. I'm excited to get started but nervous as I haven't studied in over 20 years. I'm hoping all my work experience will come in useful and I'll get into the study routine without too much trouble, fingers crossed! Has anyone done an MA in Applied Linguistics and can give tips for starting out at postgraduate level, or any advice for return to study after many years!

Maybe there's something of interest on the OpenLearn website? If you don't know: it's little snippets of OU courses that you can work through on your own. There are some study skills courses and some about language. Not a linguist, so you'd have to look for yourself to see if they'd be any use to you.

Good luck. I am envious, would love to return to study.

Have you been sent a list of the books you will need for your course, Linzie?

You could give yourself a head start by reading them through the summer.

One small bit of advice is to begin any work which is set on the following day, rather than leave it for a while and then have to burn the midnight oil to catch up.

This is an old-fashioned tip, but I like those coloured record cards in a little box.

Pick one for each key thing you come across like morpheme, phoneme, schwa and so on - you can browse them over a coffee and build up your knowledge.

Not me, but my DH did this - he had been working in TEFL type area and did this masters after years of working to get a job in university teaching academic English to overseas students on foundation programs / masters etc.
He really enjoyed it, though it was a lot of work. He did it part time alongside working.

The dissertation was the biggest part really - top tip don’t be finalising the executive summary the night before it’s due to be handed in… ironically a year or two later he was teaching the uni students about how to write dissertations and was v much wishing he’d followed his own advice then!

Be sure to find out how you are expected to reference your sources in your written work.

It may well be the Harvard system, but check first.

It's immensely important.

https://libguides.kcl.ac.uk/referencing/harvard

Thanks so much. I'll take a look at the OpenLearn courses.

Thanks so much. I haven't received a list of books so I presume a lot of the learning for the first module will be via the learning materials. Thanks so much for the tips. I totally agree with starting work shortly after.

Thanks for your feedback. I'll be doing the MA alongside full-time work. Hoping to compress my work into four days, to give myself a day for study. I'm hoping my interest in the subject with outweigh any sense of imposter syndrome!

Thanks so much, I'll make sure to get my head around the referencing system as early as possible!

Find out if there's a reading list and get down to it over the summer.

If there isn't a reading list specific to the MA, make sure you're up to date with the latest reading in the subject generally. Most universities have their reading lists online, so you can see what's currently recommended.

Best of luck OP - hope you make it work logistically, and hope you enjoy it!!