Undergraduate Linguistics Programs?

College Search & Selection
1

Hi there! I’m currently a junior in high school, and I’m fairly confident at this point that my main interest in terms of a major is linguistics or applied linguistics. I know little to nothing about colleges/how they work, so I apologize if I say anything ignorant or silly xD. Also, sorry in advance for writing so much, but I’d be suuuper appreciative if anyone can point me in the right direction for figuring all of this out based on the information below. Thanks! :slight_smile:

So, to start with, my grades aren’t all that great (I’d say a low B average thus far, although I’ve done better in each successive year of high school, so that might change a little by the time I’m applying). However, I’m pretty confident that SATs will help me (I got a 204 on the PSATs without studying at all, and intend to put effort into preparing for the SATs in the hopes that the score will balance out my grades to some extent). All of that said, I’m far more interested in going to a school where I’ll actually learn and enjoy myself than a place that’s “practical” or “prestigious” (not that those things are necessarily mutually exclusive haha, but the fact that I won’t get into a school in the later category doesn’t really bother me).

So, I’m looking for the best possible undergraduate linguistics program that would be accessible to me given my situation. I’m certain that I’m going to take a gap year before college, and I intend to support myself by teaching English abroad, preferably in a country where I can pick up Spanish. At the moment I only speak English and Italian. Good foreign language programs would be a plus, but I’m pretty confident in my ability to teach myself any given language I might want to study.

It has to be a place where I can defer for a year (how does that work?) I’d also really like it to be a place where I can take courses in other subjects/skills that aren’t directly tied to linguistics (once again I really don’t know how this usually works). Size isn’t a huge deal, although the more I can avoid lecture-based courses, the better. I’d hugely prefer places that emphasizes group interaction if at all possible. Also, I’d like to get away from home (Massachusetts) xD.

Finally, I know that this site primarily focuses on US schools, but does anyone know of any international schools that would fit the above description to some degree (particularly in Europe or Japan)? If not, that’s fine, but I figure it would be a nice opportunity to get more global experience if such places exist.

Thanks again!
Raffaele

2

With your grades, situation, and interest in linguistics, I’d recommend looking at solid state research flagships. Not the very top rank, which you’d have difficulty being admitted to, but still solid. The main reason is that linguistics as a discipline usually favors larger research universities, which have more courses, faculty and resources at your disposal. Those same, large research universities will have more activity in their respective language programs, which also assist linguistics study.

Smaller colleges often don’t offer too much in linguistics, and the ones that do may either prove difficult for admission, or offer you little financial aid due to your not being a top student. But that does not mean you cannot succeed within the field by any means; you simply must focus on your academics from here out, and the gap year may provide good experience and incentive.

3

A quick glance at one ranking of linguistics departments (a ranking which I don’t really trust much so I won’t cite it here) nonetheless reveals universities such as: UMass-Amherst, Ohio State University, University of California-Santa Barbara, University of Maryland, etc. Possibly your home state as well, for reduced tuition. These should all fulfill some of the resources and support for linguistics I mentioned above, and you would also have a good chance being admitted to one or more, if you continue to work on your academics.

Editing to amend: you should reconsider UMass, as your home state, due not only to reduced tuition, but also because it would seem to offer quite good linguistics support. If you can find a smaller college with strong linguistics support, and maybe be admitted on the basis of your test scores and improving grades, that would work. I personally recommend the larger universities here; linguistics will probably require some graduate study, and the exposure at a research university should assist your path. My linguistics experience at a large university was that the classes were actually quite small – not that many students major in linguistics.

Yes, sure there are international schools that feature linguistics; in fact, it may be one of the few majors where U.S. hasn’t dominated the academic scene in recent decades (at least quantitatively; qualitatively is more debatable). That said, if you are seeking graduate school admissions or future prospects, I’d be careful to weigh the advantages of a major U.S. institution, vs. a foreign degree. The better-name / higher ranked international uni’s may be OK, but generally speaking, I’d recommend a U.S. research university for undergrad, so you are not left at a disadvantage in the case you want to pursue advanced work in North America.

4

My understanding is it’s very hard to get a job with a linguistics degree, unless it’s something like computational linguistics.

5

Someone who majors in linguistics is much more likely to go to graduate school, and pursue linguistically-related research, teaching, or perhaps editing or textbook-related writing. It is not a major where people take the degree and expect solid employment prospects out of undergrad.

6

That makes sense. I hope that’s what Raffaele is thinking.

7

I actually get the impression she is leaning that way. Still, not a bad thing to mention what you did.

8

Thanks for the advice everyone!

Just to clarify, while I probably do want to go to graduate school, my goal is actually to work in the adult language acquisition (software) industry, either within an extent company or eventually creating my own (which is why I also plan to learn as much computer science as possible). Given how the industry is growing what with how technology is becoming increasingly important in language learning, I think that it’s an industry I’ll be able to get involved in (hopefully). That’s one of the reasons why I also want experience teaching English internationally.

Also, I understand the mistake, but “Raffaele” is the Italian version of “Raphael”, so… I’m a guy xD.

Anyways, is there any particular reason why it would be difficult to go from an international college to grad school in the US? How important will that be if a lot of the companies I end up wanting to work for are international? As for what you said about size of school vs size of program, that makes a lot of sense, so I guess it would be in my best interests to go to a large school?

Thanks again!

9

OK, I didn’t know you were interested in the software industry for language acquisition programming. That is very interesting, and unfortunately not an area I’m well-versed in, save for knowing some of the stronger Computer Science programs (in general) in the U.S. I think it is impressive for you to know about this career option, and you seem to be pursuing it accordingly.

I’m sorry about misinterpreting your name. However, that begs a question: are you a citizen of another country, or a dual citizen? That could give you some other options, and perhaps a slight edge in applications to certain schools. I don’t think it necessarily holds you back if you do undergraduate internationally, but it will really depend on the program(s) of study, whether your degree and support is prominent and offers solid resources (or not), and really, on many factors. You would also have to consider the research or job market in the country you do your degree in, because that will, by default, become a more likely target area. I know from experience that academic positions are not easy to come by in parts of Europe, for example. I do think it is less risky to attend a well-regarded institution in the U.S., do well, and continue on with the appropriate degrees, if academia or programming in North America is on your horizon.

For language acquisition, you are on the right track researching linguistics programs. A plus – besides the obvious programming background – might also be having a school where psychology research is also strong, as early childhood research will also deal with language acquisition, for example. Even some more biological, or brain-related research could also apply to language acquisition, as well as Communicative Disorders, and Communications research.

As more reach-type schools, you might add University of Wisconsin-Madison, University of California-San Diego, and University of Texas-Austin to your list. All of these have excellent programs in most, or all disciplines mentioned above, but your grades could hold you back. Still worth investigating, and improving your high school work as much as possible.

10

I couple of suggestions for schools that have both good linguistics and decent computer science. Some may not be accessible with your stats. I’m taking low-B average to be <3.0. I’m assuming that if you study, you can get that SAT up to 2100. You may want to take some easier courses to get your GPA up to 3.0 by the time you apply.

United States

  • University of Massachusetts Amherst (you might need to get that up to 3.0).
  • The Ohio State University
  • University of Pittsburgh
  • University of Wisconsin
  • University of California at Santa Cruz
  • Indiana University
  • University of Delaware
  • University of Kansas (should be a safety for you)
  • University of Arizona
  • Michigan State
  • University of Oregon
  • University of New Mexico

Canada (might need SAT 2’s)

  • University of Toronto (might need a 3.0, but they usually don’t count freshman year)
  • University of British Columbia (students from our school have been admitted with < 3.0)
  • Queen’s University (might need a 3.0, but they usually don’t count freshman year)
  • Carleton University
  • McMaster University
  • Simon Fraser University
  • University of Alberta
  • University of Calgary
  • University of Ottawa

Scotland

  • University of Edinburgh - UK Universities don’t look at your grades. This may be a great option for you. You have to be sure this is what you want because at UK universities you apply for a specific major (course of study), and changing isn’t easy.
11

Wow, thanks for all of the information! I will definitely check out all of those!

That said, in terms of international schools, I’m primarily interested in countries where a language is spoken that I don’t already speak/I could get better at; otherwise I’d probably just opt to stay in the US given everything that’s been pointed out about it being a more secure option. Your list is still extremely useful, though!

Thanks for the compliment, Anhydrite, and no worries about the name xP. Reading it with English spelling/pronunciation conventions would result in a very feminine sounding name haha xD. Anyways, I’m unfortunately not a dual citizen (born in the US and my grandfather renounced his Italian citizenship prior to having children).

Regardless, from what you’re telling me unless I find a well known international school that fits what I’m looking for, which is proving to be difficult, I should stick to US schools. I wouldn’t mind the opportunity to be immersed in a new language, but I guess I can do that with a year abroad anyways xD.

Thanks a ton for the help, everyone!

12

I think you should definitely research international schools, but do a substantial amount of investigation what your prospects would be like after graduation before you commit to anything. One of the perks to being an American citizen is access to an outstanding university system (despite the outrageous tuition). Since U.S. institutions lead many disciplines at this time, it may behoove you to take your degrees here, and work in your international experience through research, scholarships, etc.