Studying Arabic at university- Blog by Meredith Basharaat

Studying Arabic at university- Blog by Meredith Basharaat

Arabic is without a doubt one of the more niche languages that is offered at universities and so it is definitely worthwhile doing some research before you decide to study it. I studied Arabic for four years which included a year abroad and I can safely say that it was a really great experience.

            One of the best things about Arabic at university, is that it tends to attract a real mix of people who have decided to study it for different reasons. A few will have decided that they wanted to study it soon after GCSEs, but you’ll find that the vast majority just wanted to try it out in 1st year and then decided to continue with it after that. I think this is one of the things that makes Arabic so interesting - you get a range of people from different backgrounds and with different interests, more so than with other languages in my opinion. Arabic also tends to have a smaller cohort, in my year there were about 25 of us, and so you get to form a real sense of community together and by the end of your degree you’ll know each other really well.

            The year abroad is by far one of the highlights of studying Arabic. Unlike with other languages, such as French or Spanish, you aren’t expected to go and find a job abroad. Instead, you are basically just given money from your university to spend about 6 months studying Arabic in the Middle East. Often the language courses that you sign up to are very expensive, and so definitely take advantage of your university in the UK paying for this. The destination depends on where your UK university will have ties, but popular places are Jordan, Egypt and Morocco. You can either rent a local flat or opt to stay with a host family which is a great option for trying to pick up as much Arabic as possible. Housing is pretty flexible in the Middle East and so you can always move out quickly if you’re not too keen on wherever you’re living. In terms of language classes, most lessons run for several hours a day, and so you’ll always have free time during the day and on weekends. Weekends are the best times to take trips to different areas within the country you’re in. I was able to visit Petra, the Dead Sea, the desert in Wadi Rum and loads of other really interesting places. One thing to note about the year abroad is that you’ll find out that people speak a local dialect rather than the Modern Standard Arabic that you learn at university. This is pretty frustrating at first, but you can pick up a dialect quite quickly as you’ll have lessons at the language school. Often the local dialect is actually a lot easier to have conversations in than standard Arabic. In short, for Arabic the year abroad is great chance to take a break from university life and spend your time drinking Arabic coffee, exploring local souks, eating the best hummus and shawarma in the world, visiting amazing sights and just generally immersing yourself in a different culture.

            In terms of difficulty, during the first year or perhaps even longer sometimes, Arabic can feel like a lot of work - or at least a lot of new information to take in. Some people can feel a bit lost with it, especially if they didn’t really commit to it earlier. In these cases, the year abroad in third year is a real advantage and after it everybody arrives back for fourth year at much the same level. Having said this, the first term or so is definitely intense and it takes a while to get your head around the new alphabet and writing from right to left - but just be patient with this, I found that once I had a really solid understanding of the basics then everything else became a lot easier!

            Finally, alongside Arabic language you’ll study non-language modules relating to the Middle East like culture, history, politics, literature and film modules. If you’re interested in a specific subject area (e.g. the Arab Spring), it’s worth checking to see if they offer a module on it at the university you’re applying to. I really enjoyed my cultural modules, especially one on modern Middle Eastern film, and found that I learnt a lot about recent historical events through such modules.

            Overall, Arabic is without a doubt a lot more challenging than post-A level languages, but I think that makes it even more rewarding. Learning Arabic from scratch gives you a sense of fulfilment that you just don’t get with a more familiar language that you’ve studied since you were 13. By the end of our degrees, I know that my classmates and I felt really proud of ourselves and what we had achieved. It also opens up a good range of options for your life post-university. You’ll find that at family Christmases everybody starts asking you if you’re going to be a spy. Whilst this is probably a viable option, there are a lot more paths open to you which are a little less extreme. Quite a few people, myself included, choose to work abroad for a while, either teaching or working for local organisations. Other sectors where having the Arabic language is useful includes work with governments, NGOs, education and communication roles.

            I’d really recommend studying Arabic at university to anybody who enjoys learning new skills and has an interest in travelling and learning more about the Arabic-speaking world. So much of Middle Eastern history, politics and culture just isn’t taught in school and so taking Arabic at university really allows you to learn about, and most importantly spend time living in, a part of the world which very few people have the chance to go and visit.

Meredith Bashaarat is a Caabu intern. She studied Arabic and French at Durham University. She has spent time in Jordan however currently living and working in Cairo.