📕 Part 1: Studies

Do you work or are you a student?

I'm currently doing a combined degree in marketing and business.

Why did you choose this subject?

Well, frankly, it seems like it's the future. Markets of all kinds of expanding and getting into business seems like the best way to make money and have a good standard of living.

What's the most interesting part of being a student?

Well, I'm having a lot of fun living the student lifestyle and getting to know people. But the thing I really like is getting to grips with all the new concepts and developments in the field. It's exciting to see what the future might hold and how it relates to theories and patterns from the past.

What do you like most about studying?

Apart from what I just mentioned? Well, it's a great feeling when you see progression in your understanding. So one minute you're completely ignorant coming out of high school, and the next you understand the foundational concepts of an entire area of study.

And what do you dislike about your studies?

I'm not a huge fan of how many of my fellow students behave. A lot of them don't like to make an effort and it can hold you back in group projects. I think they could afford to be a bit more organized, really.

What would you like to study in the future?

Well, I think I'd like to get through this degree first, frankly. But I've given some thought to doing an MBA. That's far in the future, though. In the near term, I'm so focused on what I do know. I've not given it much serious consideration yet.

So, dear listener, did you enjoy Rory lying?

I enjoyed lying.

Yeah, I believed everything.

Yeah. I liked doing the research for this one. We've got lots of fun vocabulary. And even though we talked about only marketing and business, there are still things you can apply to different kinds of studies as well.

When the examiner asks you "Do you work or are you a student?" it's better to choose just one thing. Here, we talked about studies. So a degree in, a degree in marketing, a degree in advertising, a degree in biology, I don't know. And we say like, I'm doing a degree. So do a degree in something. Now I'm doing a degree in. Okay? Or I can say like I'm studying at blah, blah, blah University. Yeah? Like I'm studying at Cambridge. I'm studying maths. Yeah?

Do people study maths at Cambridge? I forget which one they specialize in the most.

English literature? Frankly. Like honestly. Like to be honest with you. You can say, frankly, my parents chose this for me. Okay? Why are you studying this? Okay, because of my parents. Frankly? Just my parents made me do it. Yeah?

Frankly, my parents want me to be a doctor. Or frankly, my parents want me to be a lawyer. Anytime you're being completely honest about things.

Or you can say that it seems like the best way to make money. So I'm doing a degree in advertising. Why? It seems like the best way to make money. Make money, you know, earn money. And have a good standard of living. Well, just to have a good life, you know?

Yeah, a good standard of living is just what you're used to having in order to live. So a good standard of living... Well, that's different for many people. For me, it looks like constant internet access. And being able to live in a warm house, a well-decorated house. I'm working on the well-decorated part. But still.

Then the examiner's questions are usually about the most interesting part. The most difficult part, is what you like and dislike about studying this subject, okay? Or being a student. And the most interesting part of being a student, or the most interesting part of studying marketing and business. So whatever you are studying. And you can say, like, I'm having a lot of fun living the student lifestyle. So I am living the student lifestyle, I'm a student. So I'm having now, I'm having a lot of fun living the student's lifestyle. Or I'm enjoying my student lifestyle. Also, you can say I enjoy getting to know people. So just talking to people, get to know people. Like becoming friends with them. And then a very good phrase is get to grips with something.

But that's just developing an understanding of how something works. But don't mix these things up. Getting to know people and getting to grips with new concepts and developments, not getting to grips with people. Don't do that.

Yeah. So get to grips with something? Like to learn more about something, to understand it. And we can use it about any sphere, about any kind of studying process. Right? So I'm studying, I don't know, mathematics. I enjoy getting to grips with what? In mathematics.

I enjoy getting to grips with foundational concepts of mathematics. Whatever those are. I don't know what foundational concepts in mathematics are, to be honest. Like, what's the basic foundation of maths? That one plus one is two? Is that right? It's really like basic things you need to understand for math.

If I'm studying IT?

If you're studying IT, then you're getting to grips with the foundational concepts of, well, technology. So I suppose that would be things like coding, and programming.

And the structure, the thing I really like is learning new things, or the thing I really like is getting to grips with new concepts. So the thing I really like is getting to know new people.

That just adds more emphasis to what you're about to say. The thing I really like is getting to grips with new concepts. The thing I really like is getting to know. Emphasis.

Apart from what I just mentioned. And we can use it as a question. So if you have already said what you like about studying, and the examiner asks you a similar question. You can say, apart from what I just mentioned. Like come on, like I've told you already, right? So mentioned? Like I kind of, I've said it before. Like apart from.

We could try it again. Apart from what I just mentioned. Going up at the end.

Like a rhetorical question. The examiner doesn't answer your questions. Okay, dear listener? So it's just like, as I have just mentioned, it's a great feeling. Yeah? Or apart from what I just mentioned, and you continue.

So it could go down at the end as well. The whole idea is that you're controlling the pronunciation in order to make a point.

And here, Rory told us about this idea. Like, it's a great feeling to see your progress. It's a great feeling when you see progression in your understanding. So you see your progress. You know nothing and then five years later you know everything.

You know everything.

At university. Or kind of like, you know nothing and then five years later you know nothing. Oh, you know even less. You know?

Well, Socrates said a wise person understands how little they know about things. They're really wise people. But I don't think that's true. We've spent years being English teachers, and we've learned a lot in that time. And hopefully, you have too in the five years this podcast has been running.

To be ignorant is to know...

Nothing.

Well, not nothing but little. Yeah? Like ignorant people, they don't know anything about art, about life, about like important events in our history, for example. Ignorant.

Yes, but you could be ignorant when you come out of high school about how your subject works. So it is a bad thing. But it's not always an insult. It's just, I didn't know about these things and then I went to university and found out about them.

I'm not a huge fan of something or somebody. I'm not a huge fan of exams, I'm not a huge fan of my fellow students, fellow students. Students you study with. Your kind of like, not colleagues, no, colleagues are at work. But students, like people you study with, well, your peers, like fellow students. And here, Rory told us about their behaviour. I'm not a huge fan of how many of my fellow students behave. So they're lazy, they don't do anything. They just like, you know, like drink and party. So I'm not a huge fan of their behaviour. Or you can also mention like, I'm not a huge fan of exams. I just don't enjoy learning. Maybe. I don't like my teachers. I can't stand getting up early, for example. I can't stand is a very good synonym to dislike hate. I can't stand exams. I hate exams.

What else can people not like at university? Exams. Disruptive students.

Well, teachers.

Yeah, I'm not a huge fan of how my teachers run the classes. How my timetable is organized. Yeah, there are lots of things you can dislike about university, I wouldn't know, I had a fabulous time at university.

And many people don't make an effort. So they don't study hard. They don't do much. And this can hold you back in group projects. So very often we have group projects at university. Also like at school. And if one person in your group isn't making an effort, this can hold you back in group projects. Which means that you are not making good progress. What else can hold you back?

It's often about other students. Although, you could talk about how badly organized University is as well. Things are so badly organized, it's difficult to know what's expected. And that holds you back. Maybe if you don't live on campus, and you have to travel to the university, you can be tired, which would hold you back. So it would stop you from developing as much as you want to.

Here, you can say that I'd like to get through this degree first. So kind of what about the future? Well, I don't know.

What about the future, indeed?

Yeah. So kind of first, I'd like to get through this degree. So get through? Like complete. Yeah? But that's a phrasal verb, which is nice. I'd like to get through this degree first.

Oh, I used frankly, again. I really like that word.

Yeah, frankly, like to be honest with you. That's a nice one. Very natural. And if you are thinking of doing something else, you can say I've given some thought to doing something.

Yes.

I've given some thought to doing another degree in chemistry, I've given some thought to doing an MBA, or I've given some thought to, like applying for a PhD program. Okay? Or some course, abroad.

But it would be a good idea to finish this course first.

Yeah. And also, this is nice, like, that's in the far future. I will do this in the far future. So sometime in the future. Now, I'm focused on this degree, I'm focused on my exams, I'm focused on doing my research, for example. If you're not sure what you're going to do in the future, you can say, now, I've not given it much serious consideration. So kind of, I don't know what I'm going to do. Actually, I haven't given it much serious thought yet. So I haven't given it much serious thought yet.

Or serious consideration. Ooh, it's a collocation.

So lots of Present Perfect, dear listener. Okay? So I've given it some thought, I haven't given it much thought yet. I'd like to in the future. And also we can use the second conditional. Oh, if I could, I... Rory, could you give us an example with the second conditional, like, what would you like to study in the future? Maybe if I had more money...

Yeah. Well, what would it be? If I had more money, I would be doing a PhD in English language teaching, if such a thing exists.

If I had more money, I'd study in Italy. Okay?

Oh, that would be nice.

Hey, dear listener, thank you very much for listening! Take your notes, do you work or are you a student? Listen to our episode about work. Okay? Write down your answers. Write down the vocabulary that you're gonna use about study. So about work.

Bye!

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