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Higher education

Talk to other parents whose children are preparing for university on our Higher Education forum.

Original poster

MFL universities - specifically Exeter

105 replies

Hockeyplayer321 · 30/05/2023 17:21

I have been reading old threads on here about modern foreign languages because that is what my DC wants to study. I was taken aback to see on one thread that Exeter is not well-regarded for MFL. Is this actually true? It is the uni my DC likes the look of the most - both the uni and the MFL course. They are also considering Southampton (which we know is good for MFL) but that is as far as research has got so far.

OP posts:
Thepleasureofyourcompany · 30/05/2023 17:24

Don't listen to anyone on here. Exeter is an excellent uni. I'm sure it's fine for MFL!

TizerorFizz · 30/05/2023 17:56

It’s MFL dept is smaller than some others. So check the options and core. Also if looking at higher tariff universities, it’s not difficult to see the good ones. In the SW, I would say Bristol is better than Exeter or Bath. Most employers are looking for transferable skills from a MFL degree, so better is often breadth and quality of course. The higher ranking unis tend to have more traditional courses.

toothbrusher · 30/05/2023 17:59

It was well regarded when I went there. Any uni with an overall good rep tends to have a certain cachet overall even if they're not the strongest for everything because no uni can excel for everything's

Thepleasureofyourcompany · 30/05/2023 17:59

TizerorFizz · 30/05/2023 17:56

It’s MFL dept is smaller than some others. So check the options and core. Also if looking at higher tariff universities, it’s not difficult to see the good ones. In the SW, I would say Bristol is better than Exeter or Bath. Most employers are looking for transferable skills from a MFL degree, so better is often breadth and quality of course. The higher ranking unis tend to have more traditional courses.

You are amazingly confident in what employers do and don't look for.

Original poster
Hockeyplayer321 · 30/05/2023 18:07

Thank you for all the replies so far. We are put off Bristol because of the shortage of housing and the cost of it but might reconsider @TizerorFizz

OP posts:
TizerorFizz · 30/05/2023 18:08

I am confident because not a huge number of MFL grads are employed for MFL alone. If you look at grad destination jobs, that’s pretty clear. So getting a good range of skills matters. Translation is pretty dead in the water now. Sk it’s not a vocational degree these days for many grads. It’s a gateway degree like history or politics.

CUG places Bristol 6th, Exeter 12th and Southampton 16th for French.

Thepleasureofyourcompany · 30/05/2023 18:10

I mean, the difference between Bristol and Exter and Bath is minuscule. Bath head and shoulders above Bristol for some subjects anyway.

Never understand the mumsnet obsession with Bristol. No campus and its where all the druggy ones from dds private school go.

TizerorFizz · 30/05/2023 18:13

@Hockeyplayer321 Not sure Exeter is cheap! Bristol students do not have to live on the doorstep of the university in y2! Year 1 has many reasonable options. Bristol is big enough for students to spread out a bit after that. Many don’t want to of course but a summer job helps with extra cost. It’s a very good uni for MFL and partner unis abroad are good too.

clary · 30/05/2023 19:47

Tbh @TizerorFizz MFL has not been a vocational degree for a very long time. I graduated in the 1980s (from Bristol as it goes) and to become an interpreter or translator you had to go and do a further course somewhere like Bradford.

I knew a lot of MFL grads (obvs) and apart from those who became teachers (still a vocational option) I am struggling to think of anyone who graduated abd went into an MFL related role.

@Hockeyplayer321 don't let your dd be put off MFL tho - it's great that she wants to study it. Graduates I knew back then went into teaching, journalism, PR, academia, accountancy, retail management. One became a best selling author. All good.

I woukd say to your dd, aim as high as you can and look carefully at the make up if the course as they will vary in terms of lit and lang emphasis.

I don't subscribe to "xxx uni is good for yyy" tbh; apart from things like sport at lboro or computer animation at Falmouth, unis like Manchester, Liverpool, Newcastle, Bristol, Warwick, Nottingham, Exeter and many more will offer you a "good" degree. Look at course, campus v city, cost of accommodation, distance from home, among other factors.

RampantIvy · 30/05/2023 22:36

Never understand the mumsnet obsession with Bristol. No campus and its where all the druggy ones from dds private school go.

Grin

DD decided she didn't like it after visiting for an open day.

Stringbean70 · 31/05/2023 01:07

Wholeheartedly agree @rampantivy . Bristol is not what It was 10 years ago. Drug central. Avoid unless you are SURE your DC can say no and mature enough to resist peer pressure.

InDIYHell · 31/05/2023 07:32

Dd has applied for an MFL degree, she didn't include Bristol as an (other subject) university lecturer friend warned her off.

She has an offer from Exeter but likely to decline (procrastinating). She didn't meet some lecturers at their offer day and feels the course isn't as broad/flexible as some others. It's not bad though! Discover uni stats imply they admit plenty with lower UCAS points than their standard offer though.

tinselvestsparklepants · 31/05/2023 08:11

Uni lecturer here. Which uni will your DC be happy in, have good support? Which one is the right size for their confidence levels, where do they think they'd have a good social life? If they are happy, they have a better chance of doing well. Please don't make it all about future employers, make it about your DC now. Most of the students I'm seeing at the moment are very socially immature thanks to Covid, and are struggling. Support services are overwhelmed. Please make their overall happiness your priority, as I said if they're happy in themselves their studies will be far better anyway.

Moominmammacat · 31/05/2023 08:11

My DS wouldn't chose Exeter again ... did MFL ... very narrow courses/lack of choice of modules/miniscule number of contact hours. Add to that, in my awfully humble opinion, relatively expensive rent and unpleasant private school attitudes, would put me off.

InDIYHell · 31/05/2023 08:19

@Moominmammacat Thanks for the feedback, it confirms DDs views.

TizerorFizz · 31/05/2023 08:26

@clary
Totally agree with what you say.

The rubbish about Bristol written above is utterly ludicrous! As if any uni is drug free! Friends DC have gone to many unis and students take drugs. At all unis!

I mentioned Bristol because it does have broader options than Exeter. It seems we cannot have a mature discussion about MFL without some stupid reference to drugs by people who know nothing about MFL so are way off topic. There’s little difference between the type of student at both Exeter and Bristol. @Hockeyplayer321 Do rest assured Bristol students are just fine. My DD did MFL there and all were happy and got great jobs. The vitriol about Bristol is not correct and, as at any uni, students really can live happy, productive and wholesome lives!

Moominmammacat · 31/05/2023 08:27

Hope she is happy wherever she goes. What's first choice at the mo?

TizerorFizz · 31/05/2023 08:35

@Thepleasureofyourcompany I mentioned Bristol because the OP is looking at SW snd S coast unis. It’s foolish to discount Bristol for MFL. It’s the best in that area for MFL. Bath MFL is pretty limited. It has a narrow focus. So no one is obsessed with Bristol. However DD did MFL there do at least I have some relevant knowledge. Unlike you maybe?

Thepleasureofyourcompany · 31/05/2023 10:18

Tbf @TizerorFizz ,anecdotal evidence is just that, good or bad.

ealingwestmum · 31/05/2023 10:21

Not here to argue the usual about uni league table positioning and employability, but for OP’s DC to check that the course requirements match the needs as they all differ. For example, DD applied to Bristol wrongly thinking Arabic was a core language, when it’s only offered as a non degree module. So basically access via the language suite only, resulting in a wasted UCAS offer. They weren’t very helpful on the communications front when she was doing her prospecting but this was her mistake.

Dependent on what languages your DC wants to learn at Exeter, the non std languages come under ‘modules’, and may not tick the wider coverage that comes with a MFL programme. Unless of course it’s only the language parts they are more interested in vs lit, culture, politics, arts etc.

The vibe of a uni, it’s culture, geography, type of student, city vs campus etc was really important to us, and so whilst drugs are of course, accessible everywhere you go if that way inclined, it’s naive to ignore the feedback of certain cities. Also if budget is important, roughly calculating the whole life Uni cost across all years is key, that includes factoring in rental availability/cost in years 2 and beyond.

Original poster
Hockeyplayer321 · 31/05/2023 11:31

Moominmammacat · 31/05/2023 08:27

Hope she is happy wherever she goes. What's first choice at the mo?

Was Exeter but now not at all sure. Quite likes Liverpool and Southampton. Maybe Reading as insurance. Oh and Newcastle been mentioned too. But we can’t really tell how big the language departments are - for instance, Exeter looks like it has loads of module choices on the website but then PP say it doesn’t. Key thing for us is opportunity to do three languages so that has narrowed it down a lot but we are still going round in circles!

OP posts:
Moominmammacat · 31/05/2023 11:34

Living in a nice place is terribly important but the course is key. My DS was paying £9,500 a year for three hours teaching time, no choice of modules ... and I'm sure others will advise you better but three languages are pretty heavy.

Original poster
Hockeyplayer321 · 31/05/2023 11:34

@tinselvestsparklepants i very much agree with your post. Thank you.

OP posts:
Original poster
Hockeyplayer321 · 31/05/2023 11:43

@Moominmammacat only three hours teaching! That’s dreadful. Where would your DS go if he had his time again? Looking at three languages because more interested in language-learning than lots of culture but perhaps we need to think again. We’re both finding it so hard to see wood from the trees

OP posts:
RampantIvy · 31/05/2023 11:44

Hockeyplayer321 · 31/05/2023 11:31

Was Exeter but now not at all sure. Quite likes Liverpool and Southampton. Maybe Reading as insurance. Oh and Newcastle been mentioned too. But we can’t really tell how big the language departments are - for instance, Exeter looks like it has loads of module choices on the website but then PP say it doesn’t. Key thing for us is opportunity to do three languages so that has narrowed it down a lot but we are still going round in circles!

Show quote history

Newcastle has a really good MFL department. DD has two friends studying languages there. It is surprisingly easy to fly to Newcastle from the South west. Her best friend is from Bristol and regularly flies home to visit family. Newcastle airport is on the metro as well so it is easy and cheap to get to.

If you are concerned about rankings Newcastle is 7th in the CUG for French.