Going back to university

[Rachel Adams]

Hello.

How would a native speaker express the same idea? Does my sentence sound natural?
"She is going back to university to study literature."

 

[Phaedrus]

How would a native speaker express the same idea? Does my sentence sound natural?
"She is going back to university to study literature."

Native speakers of American English would not say that sentence or find it natural without "the" before "university."

 

[GoesStation]

"Back to school" would be the natural phrasing if you're thinking about her resuming her education rather than going to a specific university.

 

[PeterCW]

"School" in this sense is quite specifically an American usage.

The sentence is fine in British English. As always with English there are subtleties.

Your sentence sounds as if "she" is about to start a new degree.

If you mean that "she" has been away from the university, perhaps the summer vaction has just ended, and is about to return you would probably phrase it differently.

"She is studying English literature and is returning to university on Monday"

In this sentence you might say "the university" but only if you had already established which one.

 

[Rachel Adams]

"School" in this sense is quite specifically an American usage.

The sentence is fine in British English. As always with English there are subtleties.

Your sentence sounds as if "she" is about to start a new degree.

If you mean that "she" is has been away from the university, perhaps the summer vaction has just ended, and is about to return you would probably phrase it differently.

"She is studying English literature and is returning to university on Monday"

In this sentence you might say "the university" but only if you had already established which one.

Yes, I meam she is going to start a new degree. If I am not talking about returning to university after summer vacation can I say "She wants to return to university"? I am asking about BrE.

 

[PeterCW]

Yes, that just how you would phrase it in Britain.

 

[Rachel Adams]

Yes, that just how you would phrase it in Britain.

I am trying to add more information. "She is going back (or is going to return) to university to study literature" (but if I need to mention a degree) how do I add this information? A master's or a bachelor's degree. I would write "She is going back to university to do a bachelor's degree in literature." Or "She is going to return/is returning to university to study for a bachelor's degree in literature."

By the way, a Bachelor's Degree or a BA, a Master's Degree or a MA can also be used in my sentence. Am I right?

 

[Tarheel]

Perhaps:

She will be in a bachelor's degree program.

Or:

She will be studying for a bachelor's degree.

 

[emsr2d2]

She's going back to university to do a BA in English Lit[erature].

Note that "She's going back to university" works in two contexts:
1. She has already completed a degree and has decided to do a second one.
2. She previously started a degree but didn't complete it, stopped attending university (for an unspecified period of time) and has decided to go back and have another go.

 

[Rachel Adams]

She's going back to university to do a BA in English Lit[erature].

Note that "She's going back to university" works in two contexts:
1. She has already completed a degree and has decided to do a second one.
2. She previously started a degree but didn't complete it, stopped attending university (for an unspecified period of time) and has decided to go back and have another go.

I see. If I understand correctly if I use "is returning" or "is going to return" it will also work in these two contexts you mentioned. Right?
Regarding "A BA (degree)", "A MA (degree)", and "a bachelor's/master's (degree) are all of these are used but does it depend on a speaker's style?

 

[Tarheel]

I see. If I understand correctly if I use "is returning" or "is going to return" it will also work in these two contexts you mentioned. Right?
Regarding "a BA (degree)", "an MA (degree)", and "a bachelor's/master's (degree) are all of these [STRIKE]are[/STRIKE] used, but does it depend on a speaker's style?

If you mean are the abbreviations used then yes, I am certain that they are.

 

[emsr2d2]

Unless I was absolutely certain that the listener didn't know that a BA, for example, is a degree, I wouldn't use both.

She's doing a degree in English Lit.
She's doing an English Lit degree.
She's doing a BA in English Lit.
She's doing an English Lit BA. (I probably wouldn't use this as the word order sounds clunky to a native speaker.)

 

[Rachel Adams]

Does BrE use "A BA" or "A MA" more often than "A bachelor's degree" or "A master's degree"? If I use "A BA" or "A MA" with "degree" in case as you say the listener doesn't know what I am talking about, should I capitalise "degree"?

 

[emsr2d2]

I honestly don't know which is used more often. Even with the full word, "degree" can be omitted though.

She's doing a Master's in English Lit.

 

[GoesStation]

Does BrE use "A BA" or "An MA" more often than "A bachelor's degree" or "A master's degree"? If I use "A BA" or "An MA" with "degree" in case as you say the listener doesn't know what I am talking about, should I capitalise "degree"?

"Degree" is not a proper noun.

I think it's more common to speak of those degrees as a bachelor's and a master's.

Note my corrections above. The name of the letter "m" begins with a vowel sound, so you have to use "an" before it.

 

[Rachel Adams]

"Degree" is not a proper noun.

I think it's more common to speak of those degrees as a bachelor's and a master's.

Note my corrections above. The name of the letter "m" begins with a vowel sound, so you have to use "an" before it.

I was wrong when I thought it is a title and thus may be capitalized. "A Bachelor's Degree in English."

 

[Tarheel]

Does BrE use "a BA" or "an MA" more often than "a bachelor's degree" or "a master's degree"? If I use "a BA" or "an MA" with "degree" in case as you say the listener doesn't know what I am talking about, should I capitalise "degree"?

No. Don't capitalize degree.

 

[Skrej]

She's going back to university to do a BA in English Lit[erature].

Note that "She's going back to university" works in two contexts:
1. She has already completed a degree and has decided to do a second one.
2. She previously started a degree but didn't complete it, stopped attending university (for an unspecified period of time) and has decided to go back and have another go.

A simple way to clarify between the two is to add 'to finish' or 'to complete'. That would remove the possibility of the first option.

She's going back to college to finish her BA in X.

 

[PeterCW]

"Degree" is not a proper noun.

I think it's more common to speak of those degrees as a bachelor's and a master's.

Note my corrections above. The name of the letter "m" begins with a vowel sound, so you have to use "an" before it.

That is specifically American usage.

In BrE "a degree" means a first (batchelor's) degree. Higher degrees would be "a masters" or "a doctorate".

 

[jutfrank]

That is specifically American usage.

In BrE "a degree" means a first (batchelor's) degree. Higher degrees would be "a masters" or "a doctorate".

I'm very surprised you'd think so. I don't agree with that at all.

Postgraduate degrees, doctorates, research degrees, etc., are all commonly referred to as 'degrees'. Aren't they?