What our students say …
In the MFL Department, there is a close-community feeling, whether students are taking French or Spanish as a minor, or just as a one-off module. Here’s what a few of our students had to say about study and life in the Department of Modern Foreign Languages:
Student profile: Victoria George, Marketing with Spanish
However, after meeting with the Spanish lecturers to assess my ability, it all came flooding back and I knew I would enjoy it at Buckingham.
I started at Stage 3 and am now about to embark on the final stage of my degree, level 6. I have made some of the best friends in Spanish class and never leave a lecture without laughing.
The small class sizes mean that no one gets left behind. The lecturers never refuse to offer extra help outside of the lectures. Cristina and I have met every week for over 3 terms now as I struggled with confidence with my grammatical skills, she appears to never tire with having to explain things multiple times until I understand. I couldn’t have done as well as I have without her and her unlimited supply of Jaffa Cakes as rewards, which are a particular favourite of my groups! ¡Muchas gracias!
Student profile: Vanessa Whiteley, Psychology with Spanish
I also have met some great friends here, who have helped me get even more out of the course – especially with film nights, language fairs and group work in and out of the class. I love being a member of such a multicultural and exciting department, it’s been thoroughly rewarding and enjoyable to learn from these motivated lecturers and discussing contemporary issues in Spanish-speaking parts of the world.
Student profile: Lucy Cousins, Accounting and Finance with French
Having loved all aspects of French throughout school, I decided to continue to study the language as a minor alongside my Accounting and Finance degree. The fact that I was able to do this was one of the main things that attracted me to the University of Buckingham.
Since starting I’ve completed 3 French modules, all of which have had varied, interesting and extremely current content, from learning about different French speaking cultures to learning about the French economy. Both of my lecturers have been instrumental in keeping the course engaging, with extensive knowledge about all our topics, and have helped me to improve both my spoken and written French.
Our Alumni
After graduating, our former MFL students have been successful in attaining valuable experience with City Law Firms, International Associations and Human Rights NGOs, working for the O.E.C.D. in Paris and the Think Tank CIVISMO in Madrid all due to their language skills. Here is an account of their experiences.
Filip Norén. (International Studies with Spanish December 2016)
While in Madrid, I sat the DELE C1 exams to get a recognized certificate of my Spanish proficiency. Having minored in Spanish at Buckingham provided me with a solid foundation, and I recommend all MFL students to build on their knowledge by getting the corresponding certificate. Even more so, I encourage everyone to spend time in a corresponding country after graduating. Not only is it the best language fix, but if my time in Madrid is any guide, you will have a blast!
Koshu Knii (Economics with French, 2013)
With the international work experience (made possible largely by having taken French and Spanish courses at Bucks), I have recently joined the O.E.C.D., an international organization based in Paris, as an investment policy analyst, where I switch between several languages in dealing with different member states. Thanks to these foreign languages, it has been an exciting new chapter of my life in Paris so far!
Federica Battiato (Journalism with Spanish. 2016)
Plus, it enables you to break barriers and launch yourself into new experiences. That could go from speaking to a foreign friend in their native language (and that happens a lot in the workplace!) to finally book a trip to a country you’ve always wanted to go but were too scared. So, learning Spanish at uni is something I’ll always be grateful for and I highly recommend it to those who always put ‘learn another language’ in their New Years resolutions and never do it!