Students

Skye Ferguson

BA Arabic and Spanish (2011)

I studied English Lit, History and Spanish at A-Level before taking a gap year and volunteering and travelling in South America.

I had originally applied for Spanish and English Literature but after my year travelling in South America I decided that I wanted to study two languages, so taking advantage of the fact that Leeds offers such a wide variety of languages I chose Arabic as I thought it would be a very useful in whatever I went on to do in the future and I also wanted a challenge.

My course

I really enjoyed my course over all. What was great about studying languages is you can also study history, politics and literature modules alongside your language studies so you get a real mix of subjects and a much better understanding of the countries and cultures of your chosen languages. I also found languages a very sociable subject as you tend to have more smaller classes with lots of discussion and interaction.

The facilities at Leeds are fantastic, especially the language centre with access to films, television, radio and newspapers in lots of different languages.

Studying abroad

The best part of my course would have to be getting the chance to study in Spain and Egypt as well as Leeds. I spent a year living and studying in Cairo, Egypt which was an unforgettable experience. It was a challenge at times, but I learnt so much about the Arabic culture, religion and lifestyle. It was certainly a very different experience to my friends who went to Europe or other English speaking countries but it has given me the confidence to know I can deal with any situation now.

I was so nervous before I went, but I'm so glad I did it. I've never done anything like that before and it was amazing, totally brilliant. Apart from the language skills I really gained from living somewhere with such a different culture to my own.

My advice for future students?

Everyone says it but it's so true, get involved with societies from the start. University can be quite daunting at first but it's such a great way to meet new people and start to feel part of the University.

To anyone thinking of applying to my course I would say you won't regret it. With a degree in languages your options will be very open once you graduate. With a language degree you will stand out from the crowds, having developed a variety of skills, which is especially important at a time like this when there are more and more graduates. I know that I want to work in a job where I can use my language skills, travel and acquire new skills too.

I have really enjoyed my time at Leeds, I've loved it. I would recommend Leeds to anyone, 100%!