“Make the most of extra classes such as grammar workshops and conversation classes and take every opportunity to speak German with native speakers.”
Sam Tetlow
Course: BA German and History (fourth year)
“I initially looked at Nottingham because it had a good reputation generally and for my course specifically. When I came to an open day, I really liked the campus and thought it stood out from that of other universities.
There’s a wide choice of modules for this course and in German, you study not only the language but also its literature, history and politics. In the first year you do one of each, and then begin to concentrate on those that interest you; in my case that’s the history and politics modules.
At Nottingham, we are often invited to lead the discussion ourselves. Debating is one of the things I like most about the course because everyone gets involved and both students and lecturers generate lots of ideas. Our lecturers are enthusiastic and very approachable and are happy to offer support and guidance if we need it.
One module I particularly enjoyed was about how Germany
views the Holocaust. The lecturer was passionate about the
subject which made it really interesting. Another highlight
was spending my third year working for a multinational firm
in Germany. I worked in the Human Relations Department
at Robert Bosch, which Nottingham’s Department of
German has links with, supporting different managers with
translating and administrative work. It helped improve
my language skills and gave me experience of living in
another country.
Away from my course, I’ve been involved with squash, hockey and cricket teams at intramural and university level. The self-catering flats I lived in during the first year – Broadgate Park – also had a very social environment.
At the moment, I’m thinking of doing a law conversion course when I graduate and becoming a commercial solicitor. My degree has helped me develop lots of transferable skills, such as giving presentations, debating and writing essays; these are all skills that I expect to find useful in whichever career I choose.”