Egyptology & Ancient History

[ForsythiaPlease]

Does anyone have any experience of this degree at Swansea or Liverpool, please?

No. Fantastic subject but what job afterwards? Is it worth the money?

As worth it as any general arts degree - history, classics, whatever. Few arts degrees lead directly to a ‘job’ : they are not training for specific employment. So what job afterwards - anything that requires a degree - civil service, law, management in any sector really… anything!

Both are good departments with a strong track record in the subject. (No personal experience of either).

It can lead to any standard graduate job - lots of transferable skills including learning a “hard” language as well as the analytical and writing skills of the historical part.

Thank you! No specific career ideas yet, hoping my DD will study something that intrigues her...so far its this/Arabic/History (probably Ancient, although also likes Classics and Middle Eastern Studies). Doesn't want London, and has decided against Oxford application as not interested in being a "slave"(!)

Will also have full student loan, so lucky not to have to panic about affordability.

'Panic' probably overkill, but people do say that university accommodation at Liverpool is surprisingly expensive.

Hopefully DD won't worry about paying her loan back every month then as it will be higher than most with a 40 year pay back (grad tax) period.

Liverpool has a few cheaper halls by the way. Older ones where students share bathrooms come in cheaper.

Just be aware that (unless you are topping it up) this is £10k or so (next year) and the popular Greenbank accommodation at Liverpool (just as an example) is £199 pw = £7.8k pa (40 weeks) - leaving you "only" £2.5k for everything else. That's only about £60 pw (again 40 weeks) which isn't loads when you think it has to cover food (maybe £35-40 pw depending - it has gone up a lot) and socialising and any travel at a minimum. You may choose to pay for things like your DD's phone and clothes which would make things easier for her.

Not wanting to alarm you and ofc there is cheaper accomm available (Greenbank is ensuite to start with) but "full student loan" doesn't as such = "loads of money and no need to budget".

Funnily enough I was looking at the Greenbank Village prices last night! I already have 2 children at Uni, but they have scholarships and short terms with cheap accommodation, so their student maintenance is more than enough (and covers 25 weeks of the year as they don't have to pay for anything when they come home for the holidays). Budgeting will be more challenging for DD, as her terms will be longer, but she has been working part-time and saving for uni since year 10, and I have budgeted for a monthly amount to help her each month.

@ForsythiaPlease sounds like you have it all worked out 👍

No direct experience of this specific university and course, but I did classics at Leeds and was often met with “are you going to work in a museum the ?”

10 years post graduation and 2 gap years later, I’m relatively senior in the NHS management (no grad scheme). Whilst I might not discuss mythology and ancient art much any more, the skills of analysis, research, structuring cohesive arguments and attention to detail have stuck with me and been vital in my career.

and Liverpool is an amazing city to live in, great student experience! My friend did ancient history there and loved the course, he know owns and chefs in his own dumpling restaurant in Manchester very successful.

my other friends who did classics wThe me have gone on to work in DWP, Law, KPMG, many teachers and other miscellaneous grad schemes.

hope your child gets on the course and loves it!

I went from and Ancient History degree to a career in Chartered Surveying. But that did require doing a 1 year masters conversion course.

For Liverpool stay on campus not in Greenbank, saves money on transport. Melville grove is cheapest but shared bathroom.
But to be honest there are plenty of private halls at cheaper rates than the uni owned ones!

These halls are no more sadly - all become the v v expensive Greenbank village!

Its ridiculous for anyone to dismiss this kind of higher education as not job worthy. A friend of mine studied Arabic and got an offer from MI5 on graduation.

Classics isn't entirely the same.

With 340,000 grads every year, standing out is becoming more difficult and it needs some thought. Especially with the uni loans changing. Law conversion is of course possible.

@Bunnyannesummers

Yes. Melville G is the cheaper one. Sharing a bathroom isn't the greatest hardship to save a lot of money! Often dc don't have their own bathroom at home but won't share at uni for one year!!! Second and third years in a rented house, they almost certainly will share. Just buy a dressing gown!