Why do you love Geography?

My friends do often say that I am full of completely useless facts, but I still knew that fact, and they didn't :P

I love Geography because its such a broad subject and is therefore great for really indecisive people like me who have no idea what they want to do in life. One day i think "i want to be a glaciologist and live in the alps" other days i think " i want to live in London and improve inner city quality of life". Both are completely different, yet both possibilities for me. However indecisive i am, i know one think is for sure : SOIL SCIENCE SUCKS

Whilst I do love Geography, I hate to be annoying and point out some flaws with what people have said, particularly people who aren't doing degree level geog yet, and are not prepared for the shock that it entails...for example, someone said that people see Geography as primary/secondary school Geography (capital cities, oxbow lakes, etc.) and they're totally wrong. And you guys can only see Geography at the moment at Sixth Form/College level. Well let me tell you, if secondary Geog was colouring in, then Sixth Form geog was painting.....degree level geography is bloomin' 3D computerized graphics!!!

Ahhh, I love my long posts, let's get going....

1. doesn't base its theories on a list of assumptions (unlike Economics)
- Yes it does. Theories in geography come from one (or more) academics who have went out and done research. For example, research of social structures in villages in Zimbabwe. Unless that academic has studied every single village into the most detail possible (i.e. it's not possible!), then they must assume things. All education is subjective, geographers will come out of their degrees knowing different things from other geographers, depending on their university, their lecturers, their government, etc etc.

2. allows you to explore and understand the relationship between Man and his environment, be it an urban landscape or the physical environment
- Hmmm, degree level - "river hydrology" is more like chemistry, "urban geography" is more about how buildings create power structures within time. Very little is about "man and his environment" (unfortunately )

3. I find Geography interesting cuz i like learnin about the world and how things work!
- Erm, surely that's ANY subject? Chemistry is how things work, Geology is how things work, Anthropology is how things work, History is how things work, English is how things work

4. information that you will actually be able to use in the future. Plus you learn so much stuff that would be good in conversation lol!!
- I really really wish this was true, but trust me, unless you find other geographers to chat to, very few people like to listen to the stuff you learn at degree level (with exceptions to some very particular areas, like geopolitics)

5. Geo is usually a good starter for entering finance or law.
- Yippee. I wish people who took geography would actually listen to what their subject is trying to teach them. The world is a mean, evil place and as geographers we are being taught about that. So what do we do? Go and count up rich people's accounts or defend a rapist in a courtroom. Why not actually work with an NGO? Go into teaching and carry the geography on? Get into research and try to make a difference?! Why do you think that geography gets such a bad reputation??? - Because name ONE well-known "geographer" (that are known for being a geographer!)....you can't, because they all go into law or economics or philosophy or biology or ecology or whatever. *sigh*

6. it's a very broad subject but you can specialise as well.
- It's not a subject. It's two subjects. The physical lecturers barely know the human lecturers at Durham, after we had a chat with a couple of the human ones, they were like "Nah it's only one subject when it comes to administration"

7. As for jobs I'm not sure, I wanted to be an urban designer at one point but now I'm thinking working for an NGO could maybe be fun..
- Urban design is just, it's not a job. It's a large umbrella of jobs, and if geography has anything to do with it, you're already an urban designer. For the "urban" wouldn't be urban without people would it? It would just be a load of empty buildings and roads. "Geography of the Body" at it's best (yes, that IS an area of geography!)

8. It's just interesting and most of all relevent....A lot of subjects really aren't! I mean, what use is History? Why do I need to know about Elizabeth I and her bloody long parliament?!
- Please, if you hate Geography stereotypes, then don't go doing it to other subjects. History is an important subject which creates politicians, analysts, writers of great novels, etc etc. If you can't understand the processes of the past, how can you predict what will happen in the future?



OK, so you all hate me now. But it's just a reality check - Geography at university is a massive step up (especially when you get to the meaty stuff in 2nd year!), and it makes a lot of people really wonder what they're doing studying Geography. Don't get me wrong - they still love geography, it's just that certain bits just make you realise that no, it's not that A-level facts and figures about rainforests in Manilla. It's now stuff that you're like "OH MY GOD WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?!?!?!?!?!?" lol

Love you all
xx

And besides. Is history at A level not the study of political and cultural geography in the past? How can someone love all aspects of geography and not be able to stand studying the functioning of past British parliaments?