Learning a language at ARU

Did you know that when you study at ARU you have the option to learn a new language alongside your degree course?

We have something called the Anglia Language Programme. It offers a ten-week course in various foreign languages which include Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese and Spanish.

Any ARU student can take part and it only costs £110 per semester and for some of degrees it’s free – but I’ll explain more on this in a moment.

The best part is that any student who attends at least 80% of the classes receives a certificate. This looks great on your CV. With some undergraduate degree courses, you are allowed to choose a language as a credit- bearing module, substituting one of your existing modules with the language course. This is definitely an option worth bearing in mind, and you’d be surprised at how many courses this is an option on.

Personally, I have always been fascinated by Spanish, but I had never had the chance to study this language before. Luckily, when I joined ARU, I found out about the Anglia Language Programme and I immediately took advantage of it.

To be fair, I was a bit worried about juggling my time effectively once I added this extra commitment. However, I did think that learning another language would be highly beneficial in terms of boosting my employability, as well as being a matter of personal satisfaction.

Another concern I had was picking the correct level for me. The levels range from very little or no language (Foundation) to Intermediate and Advanced. But the team at ARU helped me pick. I contacted my student adviser as well as the Language Programme team and they helped to identify the right level for me.

[A tip: if you are not sure about your level, do not hesitate to ask for help. It is essential for you to be in the right class to be able to understand what you are taught in a language which is not yours!]

Before starting the course, I did not know what to expect but now I can say that it was definitely worthwhile. The teacher was amazing and well-prepared. They were always available to clarify any query we had, even if they had to explain things twice. Moreover, I was in class with very friendly people who made me feel at ease from the first moment. We became friends. It's been a great experience, and I recommend it to everyone.

If you are interested in learning a new language, give it a go! It’s challenging but extremely satisfying and it opens more doors when you are looking for any job opportunity abroad.

Last summer, I considered Spain as a country where I might possibly do an internship – and this is where I ended up. If I had not studied Spanish at uni, I would not have been able to consider this option and I would have missed the most amazing of opportunities that my internship offered.

More than just a degree, ARU helped me learn to speak a new language.