Alice is a graduate from the BA (Joint Honours) French & Marketing programme...

Tell us a little bit about your background...

I grew up in a small town in north-east Scotland, and it was in high school where I discovered my love for languages. I also developed a taste for French culture thanks to family holidays there, so when I was 17, I decided to move to Glasgow to pursue this passion at Strathclyde.  

Why did you choose to study at the University of Strathclyde?

Initially, Strathclyde’s location and the fact that I could study French in combination with marketing were the two big draws for me, but it was my experience at Strathclyde’s open day that really solidified my choice. Every member of staff that I interacted with was so welcoming and I could tell that they were truly passionate about what they do. Particularly in the French department, there was a big focus on the fact that not only would we learn the French language, but also about the cultures and histories of various francophone countries, which really appealed to me. Across the whole university I got the impression that staff wanted to teach us things that we could use in real life beyond university.

From chatting with students at the time, they had a lot of positive things to say about not only their academic experience, but also the vibrant social side of Strathclyde, and this is what made me think that the university would be a good fit for me both academically and personally.

Tell us about your experience on the year abroad and how it contributed to your studies...

I’d say that I learned more French during my year abroad than I did during every other year of my course combined! I was living in a small town called Dax in south-west France working as an English Language Assistant in a middle school and a high school which was a completely new experience for me, but I was very fortunate to be working with the most supportive teachers. We had a lovely little community of Language Assistants from all over the world, and with them I explored the whole of the south west and neighbouring northern Spain. Between going to rugby games, hiking in the Pyrenées, and visiting wine bars in Bordeaux, I had a great balance of work and play as a Language Assistant.

I was apprehensive about heading out to live in a small town to start with, but I ended up loving Dax. I feel that I got a really authentic experience of south-west culture, and not many of the locals spoke English, which, although daunting to start with, helped me to push myself to speak French. I put into practice what I had already learned in uni, but also learned so much about how French people actually talk in real life – I think it’s almost impossible to start sounding fluent without spending time in the country, so for me the year abroad was the most useful (and fun) part of my degree!

What is the academic support at Strathclyde like?

In the French department, second to none! The course is small enough that you don’t just feel like a number – you really get to know all the other students and staff. The French team were brilliant at organising things for us outside of the course, like French pub nights, a cheese and wine soirée when we all returned from our years abroad, and a debate competition against the University of Glasgow at the Alliance Française (which we won!). I couldn’t have asked for a more supportive department.

What are the facilities at Strathclyde like?

Strathclyde has a lot of great modern buildings and facilities, but the one I really made the most of was the Union – I used it as a study space, as a social space (make the most of the cheap pints), and you can access a huge range of societies through the Union. My favourite was Strathclyde Language Cafe where I practiced my language skills with native speakers and made a lot of new friends.

What are you doing now?

I’m now working in the spirits industry here in Scotland. For a large part of the year, I’m based in a gin distillery where I lead experiences and tastings for people from all over the world. Of course, this includes a lot of French speakers, so I use my language skills almost daily. The fact that I speak French has also given me the chance to travel with work representing my company’s whisky brands – for a quarter of the year I travel all across France visiting caves, exhibiting at spirits festivals, and leading masterclasses. It’s clear that what differentiated me from my colleagues in receiving this opportunity was my language skills – I would not be doing what I’m doing today without my degree.

What advice would you give to someone considering applying for this course?

I know that when I was considering applying for the course, I was apprehensive about how my level of French would compare to everyone else’s since my school didn’t offer Advanced Highers in languages, and when I first met others on the course it turned out most of us had had the same worry. Coming to the end of our first year though, we had all managed to reach pretty much the same level. Even if you start the course not knowing one word of French, the staff do a great job at bringing everyone up to speed and not leaving anyone behind, so it turned out that I had nothing to worry about.

But my biggest piece of advice is just to go for it! The experiences that come with study a language make it one of the most fun and rewarding degrees on offer.