BECOMING A LINGUIST AT ST ALBANS SCHOOL
When I first joined the School seven years ago, I had no idea I would leave having become a linguist. The only language I was good at back then was Latin! I didn’t even enjoy languages until Third Form, when I chose to study French, Spanish and Latin for GCSE. From Third Form to GCSE, I discovered that I had a natural flair for languages, and even a passion for etymology, grammar and verb conjugations (the latter two being things many hate with a burning passion). When the time came, it made perfect sense to choose a language as one of my A Level subjects, and since I had so much fun studying Spanish, I decided to make Spanish one of my four A Level subjects.
I discovered that I had a natural flair for languages!
For me, the best thing about learning a language is that you’re simultaneously studying other subjects as well. While there is a considerable amount of emphasis on grammar at A Level, you also start studying the countries where the language is spoken (in my case, Spain and Latin America), which entails studying the history of countries, as well as political movements, various music styles, different artists and art movements, and the geography of places. Thus, while you technically still are studying a language, you’re also studying History, Politics, Geography, Music, Literature, Filmography, even Sociology, which I think is very cool and unique of Modern Foreign Languages, as not many other subjects can boast of combining such a variety of subjects into one.
The main highlights of learning Spanish at St Albans School are the numerous opportunities made available thanks to the hard work of the Spanish Department. They go above and beyond, organising school trips abroad, local theatre excursions, and many workshops.
If I get the grades I need this summer, in October I will be heading to Oxford University to study Spanish as an undergraduate, which I am very excited about. I fell in love with the city and, on the Open Day, the course sounded so intriguing that I knew instantly that I wanted to study it. Beyond that, I don’t really know what I would like to do, though my dream job would involve languages. Contrary to common belief, studying a language doesn’t destine you to be translator or a language teacher, but it enables you to do anything you want, thus I am not really worried for the future: I can be anything I want to be.
Malcolm - Upper Sixth Form
Studying a language […] enables you to do anything you want, thus I am not really worried for the future: I can be anything I want to be.
