At this point, you will probably be sick of hearing about how doing the MLang degree is different from doing the BA. You go abroad in second year; your workload is heavier; you finish with a Masters… you know the drill. However, apart from prep for your year abroad, there is no real separation between BA students and MLang students. Don't get me wrong - there's plenty you can do to better prepare yourself for the MLang degree in first year, and it may require taking a slightly different approach from your BA classmates. With this in mind, here's a list of suggestions for getting the most out of the most normal year of university you'll have.
1. Get Chatting - Take it from your wise elder, if you put the hours into your oral skills during first year you'll seriously reap the benefits. It can be a bit scary trying to sort things like bank accounts and accommodation in a foreign country, and the last thing you need is a significant language barrier. Get as involved as possible in seminars, go to the DELC language cafés, and definitely meet up with any native speakers that you know on campus - my poor friend from the south of France gracefully put up with my attempts at fluency, only sometimes making fun of my accent, and it really gave me a boost before leaving. Being a whiz at grammar, is all well and good, but the confidence and skills you gain through practicing speaking with natives is invaluable.
2. Research, Research, Research - With the fairly limited choice of host universities, you'll have a pretty good idea of where you'll be spending the year from the get go. It's never too early to be looking up routes to campus, or any student offers from banks. If you can have even a vague notion of how things work when you arrive, your life is going to be a hell of a lot easier. As well as learning about your host city, make sure you know how the country in general works: Do you need insurance? What kind of paperwork do you need to fill out? How does the healthcare system work? Doing things as far in advance as possible will cut your anxiety in half. Organisation and preparation are key!
3. Topic Shopping - At the end of first year, you'll need to submit a proposal for a dissertation. It can be a little overwhelming trying to think of a topic - one thing that might help is using your essays in first year as opportunities to look into possible areas. You'll get to write one essay and a presentation about anything you want in first year, so why not build on that to come up with a dissertation that interests you? If you want to do a translation dissertation, your culture modules can help you find authors whose work you enjoy. The department has plenty of resources too - take advantage of them!
4. MLing Solidarity - One downside of the MLang degree's accelerated schedule is the fact that after first year, you're going to be a bit out of step with your BA buddies. By the time you get back from your year abroad, they'll be beginning theirs. You won't be in the same classes in fourth year. This means it's pretty important to be on good terms with your fellow MLings. Nobody's saying you have to be best buddies, or that they'll be your only friends; of course you will see your first-year coursemates again, however, being on good terms with people who have had similar experiences to you, and understand the unique challenges of the course is super helpful. Go to the socials, hang out, help each other out with anything you don't understand - there's safety in numbers, and a good support network is vital.
5. Put The Work In- While a lot of these tips are supposed to make things less stressful, don't get too relaxed. A common thing you'll hear in first year is that timeless phrase, "forty's a pass". While that may be true for BA freshers, it isn't for you poor little MLings. The grade requirement to go abroad is 60%. While this is completely achievable, you have to remember that first year isn't quite as carefree for you as it is for other degree schemes. If this feels unfair, or like a bit of a challenge, don't panic - you wouldn't be doing MLang if you weren't academically able, and the higher requirements are reflective of your abilities. There would be no point to the degree if it wasn't a little bit harder.
There you have it! You may find these suggestions useful, you'll end up finding what works for you and how you like to approach things. Get the most out of your first year, but most of all, enjoy it!
