The course:

The course is great, it has a wide range of modules ranging from Forensic Linguistics to Language, Gender and Sexuality. You can choose to do a language as part of the course including Japanese and/or British Sign Language. The course has been better than I expected and the modules within the linguistics department allow you to go into your chosen career in a wide range of fields as the modules are so widely recognised and useful to many different careers. I would definitely recommend this course, the department of linguistics as well as the university itself to anyone looking for a comprehensive university experience with great academic support.

The lecturers:

The lecturers are incredibly supportive, consistently offering help and advice through one-to-one as well as weekly group tutorials. Lecturers often have links to their tutorials and always make sure such information is available through an online learning platform.

The department:

The School of Linguistics is an excellent sub-school within the university, part of the Education, Language and Psychology school. There is also a linguistics society provided by the students union which is very popular and well-liked by the students who are part of it.

The careers service:

There is a careers service which is very helpful and beneficial for getting advice known as ‘launchpad’ which you can access for the rest of your life if you choose to do so. There is a great amount of support regarding this, even if you do not know what you want to do after you graduate, there is still accessible support to help you have greater awareness and motivation. One of the modules entitled ‘Language at Work’ allows students to undertake a work placement, some of which are provided by the university itself. There are career lecturers in this module and you have the opportunity to create a portfolio detailing your potential, ideal career. There are lectures on this module, by guest lecturers who have careers in the field of language, communications and linguistics, who talk about the happenings of their careers. These include Speech and Language Therapists, those in the marketing sector, translators and BSL interpreters etc.

Classes:

The course and school of linguistics offer both medium-sized lectures to small seminar classes whereby in both types of environments, you can discuss your ideas with your lecturers/tutors.

Student life:

Student life at York St John University is very good as there is an excellent students’ union where students can go for support regarding societies, clubs, sports as well as opportunities. There is a students union building where you can go for coffee and study or relax or you can go downstairs for a drink.

International student’s experience:

I have many international friends and all of them seem to say that their experience with York St John University has been wonderful.

There is a weekly meetup for international students, known as the ‘global café’ which is very popular with international students and others who want to learn about global culture.

Overall
I would definitely recommend the university and course to a friend as it has so much to offer and the experience for students is great. The majority of students here have a wonderful time and express that willingly.

All the lecturers are very enthusiastic and always happy to help. The study abroad options are a little limited but I would still definitely recommend: one of the best years ever. A plus to studying abroad with YSJ is it doesn’t add another year to your degree programme. The campus is near the centre of town and there is a range of accommodation which is all quite affordable and not too far away. The careers team is also very helpful and there are plenty of career pathways connected to each degree.