BA Applied Languages/Intercultural Studies - Mature Interview

GrandBlaa

Hi all,

I received an email from DCU calling me for interview for this degree...

However, they also advise: Please note that you should expect part of the interview to be conducted in your foreign language(s). You will also be given a short language competence test after your interview.

I certainly wasn't expecting that! Has anybody any info on what the above test is like or how stringent they are during the interview?

While I'm delighted to be short listed, I'm really quaking over the idea of a multi-lingual interview!

Cravez

Which languages are you doing?

I am not on the course but did consider applying for this degree before and made a few enquiries, I got in touch with the German lecturer who told me a little bit about the interview and that they would test your competency in the language there.

Id advise going onto the DCU website, and looking at the language modules on the ALIS course and then contacting the lecturer related to the module as they will provide a proper insight about what the Interview might be about (they might be the one's sitting the Interview panel also)

Remember they will be testing your competency in the language you will be choosing at an Intermediate level, and not the language you'll be choosing as beginners. So if you're choosing German as your Intermediate level language they will test your competency in the Interview by speaking and asking questions in German

Best of luck

SB69

I'm in Applied Languages in first year and can tell you that the standard of speakers is not that high in any of the languages.

I'm doing intermediate German at the moment and our class couldn't string a grammatically correct sentence together no matter how hard they try. I wouldn't worry about it too much, the interview that is.

The questions would have to be very very basic. Once you can conjugate verbs and have a reasonable library of vocab you should get by, regardless of what your intermediate language is.

Each language lecturer has to do very basic grammar and vocab in the beginning to get each student up to the same standard, as everybody would have different standards starting off.

I'd say they'd ask things like on the leaving cert, if you have any recollection of that? Maybe to see your command of the tenses, etc.
-What you did last summer
-What you intend to do this summer
-Talk about your family/friends
-Talk about the weather/time
-Describe an object
-And so on...

Did you ever hear of the European framework for languages? Well basically it says what standard of a certain language you should have.

DCU uses this framework for incoming students.

For example I needed at least an A2/B1 level to do this course in my intermediate language. You have to be at least an A2 to do this course. So you should see what an A2 entails. I have enclosed a link at the bottom for you to check it out, and if you have any messages, just pm me!

Good Luck!

A Basic User
A1 Breakthrough or beginner
A2 Waystage or elementary
B Independent User
B1 Threshold or intermediate
B2 Vantage or upper intermediate
C Proficient User
C1 Effective Operational Proficiency or advanced
C2 Mastery or proficiency

http://www.coe.int/t/DG4/Portfolio/?M=/main_pages/levels.html

Jubbles100

Thanks SB! Have my interview in 2 weeks and have been doing an evening course at Level A2 so that's a great comfort!

Dingle_berry

Jubbles100 wrote: »

Thanks SB! Have my interview in 2 weeks and have been doing an evening course at Level A2 so that's a great comfort!

How did you get on today? I know someone who did the interview and wasn't happy with how it went.
Any idea of how many people went for how many places?

Jubbles100

Dingle_berry wrote: »

How did you get on today? I know someone who did the interview and wasn't happy with how it went.
Any idea of how many people went for how many places?

No idea how many people or any of that...there was at least one before me and two after me, I was in the afternoon. They allotted twenty minute time slots per each interview so potentially there could have been two more plus however many from the morning!

It went okayish, it was quite informal, wanted to know my reasons and motivations for applying, my knowledge of the course, if I thought there were any advantages to being a mature student, it was more a chat really. Then I was asked a few questions in my language of choice (German) and that didn't go well. I misunderstood a question and then got quite muddled in what I wanted to say.

Then went into a separate room and has to write 250-300 words in German about why I wanted the course and what I could bring to it...which I thought I managed Ok!

Are you interviewing for the course too?

Dingle_berry

Jubbles100 wrote: »

Are you interviewing for the course too?

Nope! Only a friend of mine who was upset after it. They felt that the chat in the intermediate language didn't go great, just like you they got tied up and weren't given time to collect themselves. My friend said they were interviewing for other courses on the same day, so I'd guess about 15 were interviewed but no idea how many places.

Jubbles100

Well, tell your friend that there were 3 components to the interview so if the other two parts of it went well then they probably still have a decent chance. That's the way I'm looking at it anyway! Hope they get their place!

SB69

Do you know the name of the person that was doing the interview with you?

People always screw up questions. The whole point of the interview is to hear and see your standard of German. If you misinterpreted a question, that's fine; once you didn't give up and start speaking English, or say nothing at all, i'm sure you'll be okay. The interview, whether you answered the questions right or not, shows to the "interviewer" the standard of German you have. I'm sure, based on the fact you knew you went wrong and actually tried to correct yourself, that everything went well and you showed your command of the language.

Oh and FYI, this years ALIS class had no mature students what so ever, so i'd say a good few will be accepted this year, as the standard of CAO applicants wasn't the best, me being one of them! :P

Konata

SB69 wrote: »

Do you know the name of the person that was doing the interview with you?

People always screw up questions. The whole point of the interview is to hear and see your standard of German. If you misinterpreted a question, that's fine; once you didn't give up and start speaking English, or say nothing at all, i'm sure you'll be okay. The interview, whether you answered the questions right or not, shows to the "interviewer" the standard of German you have. I'm sure, based on the fact you knew you went wrong and actually tried to correct yourself, that everything went well and you showed your command of the language.

Oh and FYI, this years ALIS class had no mature students what so ever, so i'd say a good few will be accepted this year, as the standard of CAO applicants wasn't the best, me being one of them! :P

Do you just mean no mature students in this year's ALIS German class? Cause there's at least 2 mature students on the course itself this year.

Jubbles100

Ah, I'm not overly worrying about it, if it's meant to be, it will be and all that jazz

It was Sharon O' Brien and Olga, I think??

SB69

Konata wrote: »

Do you just mean no mature students in this year's ALIS German class? Cause there's at least 2 mature students on the course itself this year.

Yeah sorry I left out the "German" bit!

SB69

Jubbles100 wrote: »

Ah, I'm not overly worrying about it, if it's meant to be, it will be and all that jazz

It was Sharon O' Brien and Olga, I think??

Oh right, Sharon is very nice and Olga is getting better! :P She used to a bit narky but I think that's just because she's German! :P

Anyway, I hope everything works our for you!

deink

Hey was looking into this course, anyone know if the year abroad has to be to a country speaking the language you speak at an intermediate level, or can it be the one you begin learning in first year? And just to make sure, you take 2 languages for this course ya?

Konata

deink wrote: »

Hey was looking into this course, anyone know if the year abroad has to be to a country speaking the language you speak at an intermediate level, or can it be the one you begin learning in first year? And just to make sure, you take 2 languages for this course ya?

2 languages, yup. The country you're going to be MUST be your beginner language. If you do 2 intermediate languages, then you have a choice.

niamhzie

Konata wrote: »

2 languages, yup. The country you're going to be MUST be your beginner language. If you do 2 intermediate languages, then you have a choice.

no, not "must", just strongly recommended that you go to your beginner country, at the end of the day it's your choice.

jaydoxx

Sorry if i'm highjacking this thread but are there any restrictions on your language choices? As in your combinations?

niamhzie

no major restriction, other than you can't do 2 beginner languages, so something like Chinese and Japanese isn't possible

jaydoxx

Ah I see, would it make a difference if you took Japanese for the leaving cert and did very well?:P

Konata

jaydoxx wrote: »

Ah I see, would it make a difference if you took Japanese for the leaving cert and did very well?:P

Nope. They only offer Japanese at beginner level no matter your own standard. So if you take Japanese, you have to do an intermediate language as your 2nd one (so French, German, Spanish or Irish with previous experience).

Don't worry, the course will have caught up with the LC before Christmas. They move really fast!

jaydoxx

Aw damn, I was really interested in doing Italian/Chinese with Japanese. I know you can choose to study only one language I think in second year. How would that effect the following years? Would you be doing completely different modules as a replacement to the second language? Thanks for all the information, I'm still undecided on what course I want to do but I should know well by the end of this academic year:)

Konata

jaydoxx wrote: »

Aw damn, I was really interested in doing Italian/Chinese with Japanese. I know you can choose to study only one language I think in second year. How would that effect the following years? Would you be doing completely different modules as a replacement to the second language? Thanks for all the information, I'm still undecided on what course I want to do but I should know well by the end of this academic year:)

Italian isn't one of the languages offered in ALIS. The beginner languages are Japanese, Chinese, German & Spanish. The intermediate languages are French, Irish, German & Spanish.

You have to do both languages for the first 2 years. It's only after 2nd year that you can choose to drop one of them. I'm not entirely sure how the modules differ in the dual/single language pathways.

jaydoxx

Konata wrote: »

Italian isn't one of the languages offered in ALIS. The beginner languages are Japanese, Chinese, German & Spanish. The intermediate languages are French, Irish, German & Spanish.

You have to do both languages for the first 2 years. It's only after 2nd year that you can choose to drop one of them. I'm not entirely sure how the modules differ in the dual/single language pathways.

Wow don't know how I made that mistake:p Thanks for the information, I gotta get my thinking cap on now:)

deink

Can someone tell me how big the difference would be between taking beginners and intermediate German? Would a decent pass LC (A or be enough?

who is this

deink wrote: »

Can someone tell me how big the difference would be between taking beginners and intermediate German? Would a decent pass LC (A or be enough?

DCU have rules on it. Minimum is a C at Higher Level. Don't know what the rules are for OL.

But someone doing a course in languages.... well ideally they would want to be able to pass at least one at Leaving Cert Higher Level.

Of course you could be talking about a French/German combo (where you take French at HL for leaving and German at OL). In that case you can just pick the course and change the level (if necessary) in Change of Modules week.