Why do you love Geography?
Well, I wanted to start this thread cos alot of times when I tell people that I'll be doing geography at university, they'll ask "WHY??!". And I'm rather fed up with all of that bull, so please tell me exactly why you love it so much!
Personally, other than the fact that I'm quite good at it, I think it's fascinating how it allows you to explore and understand the relationship between Man and his environment, be it an urban landscape or the physical environment.
It grants you a whole set of transferable skills, teaches you to be more analytical and doesn't base its theories on a list of assumptions (unlike Economics), plus it isn't boring and you don't have to go against your own conscience (unlike Law)
So please share why you're actually doing Geography at university! btw, I also get alot of questions from people asking me what kind of future prospects I'll have doing this course
Personally, other than the fact that I'm quite good at it, I think it's fascinating how it allows you to explore and understand the relationship between Man and his environment, be it an urban landscape or the physical environment.
It grants you a whole set of transferable skills, teaches you to be more analytical and doesn't base its theories on a list of assumptions (unlike Economics), plus it isn't boring and you don't have to go against your own conscience (unlike Law)
So please share why you're actually doing Geography at university! btw, I also get alot of questions from people asking me what kind of future prospects I'll have doing this course
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I'm thinking of possibly doing Geography at Uni. I find Geography interesting cuz i like learnin about the world and how things work!
Btw, do u no wat job ur gonna do wen u finish uni if you're taking geography at uni?? Cuz i need sum ideas 4 wat 2 do wen im older u c!
cuz i don't ave many idea 4 wat 2 do wen i'm older n i ave 2 reli start finkin!
Btw, do u no wat job ur gonna do wen u finish uni if you're taking geography at uni?? Cuz i need sum ideas 4 wat 2 do wen im older u c!
cuz i don't ave many idea 4 wat 2 do wen i'm older n i ave 2 reli start finkin! 
Geography is just the best subject really, i was having this dicussion with my chemistry teacher the other day. It gives yoy loads of great skills, science, maths, and v importantly good english and essay writting skills. Plus its just the most interesting subject, I mean you get to learn amazing stuff about the world we live in and 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!!
In short - I love the world, find so many things fascinating, want to understand the how and the why - why the world is shaped as it is and how people interact with each other and the envrionment and what the consequences are (whether intentional or other wise). No other subject allows me to explore these things and for that reason I love it.
I also have a passion for colouring in.
I also have a passion for colouring in.
Geog is quality! love the way in which it integrates with other subjects, as Beth points out. Therefore it makes you a very all round individual. Also love the way in which geography deals with world issues like global warming. Therefore being a geographer puts you at the forefront of investigating ways in which to solve, understand and alleviate interesting matters.
In terms of future prospects, geo is one of the most employable subjects due to its diverse nature. Geo is usually a good starter for entering finance or law. As for myself i abandoned going for law at uni because i thought it would be boring and nowhere near as interesting as geo. Planning to go into it afterwards.
Oh and I never can understand when people say geo is colouring in. To be honest there is hardly any. There's probably more in other subjects.
In terms of future prospects, geo is one of the most employable subjects due to its diverse nature. Geo is usually a good starter for entering finance or law. As for myself i abandoned going for law at uni because i thought it would be boring and nowhere near as interesting as geo. Planning to go into it afterwards.
Oh and I never can understand when people say geo is colouring in. To be honest there is hardly any. There's probably more in other subjects.
Yeah, I just get told that all I need for Uni is a red, blue and green pencil! It p*sses me off as I LOVE it. I enjoy doing my Geogrpahy homework- I don't care if that's 'sad' because I do- it's interesting, usefull fun and fascinating. Physical Geography is my favourite, it grips me and it's just GREAT!!! END OF. Sock 'em in the teeth of they say anything else!
Yeah, I just get told that all I need for Uni is a red, blue and green pencil! It p*sses me off as I LOVE it. I enjoy doing my Geogrpahy homework- I don't care if that's 'sad' because I do- it's interesting, usefull fun and fascinating. Physical Geography is my favourite, it grips me and it's just GREAT!!! END OF. Sock 'em in the teeth if they say anything else!
I think people remember geography as they studied it in primary / early secondary school; ox-bow lakes and capital cities and such. Perhaps they don't realise the variety of topics it covers - I like the fact that between human and physical geography you can study practically anything that interests you, it's a very broad subject but you can specialise as well.
It covers a lot of important issues - global warming, natural disasters, rich-poor divides etc - so what you're studying is up-to-date and relevent, and could really make a difference to people's lives (development geography, fairtrade etc..) At least that's what I'm hoping - I'm not at uni yet
Oh and there's the travelling aspect aswell - great field trips 
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... I've got three years to decide anyway
It covers a lot of important issues - global warming, natural disasters, rich-poor divides etc - so what you're studying is up-to-date and relevent, and could really make a difference to people's lives (development geography, fairtrade etc..) At least that's what I'm hoping - I'm not at uni yet
Oh and there's the travelling aspect aswell - great field trips 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... I've got three years to decide anyway
Fluid
Geog is quality! love the way in which it integrates with other subjects, as Beth points out. Therefore it makes you a very all round individual. Also love the way in which geography deals with world issues like global warming. Therefore being a geographer puts you at the forefront of investigating ways in which to solve, understand and alleviate interesting matters.
In terms of future prospects, geo is one of the most employable subjects due to its diverse nature. Geo is usually a good starter for entering finance or law. As for myself i abandoned going for law at uni because i thought it would be boring and nowhere near as interesting as geo. Planning to go into it afterwards.
Oh and I never can understand when people say geo is colouring in. To be honest there is hardly any. There's probably more in other subjects.
In terms of future prospects, geo is one of the most employable subjects due to its diverse nature. Geo is usually a good starter for entering finance or law. As for myself i abandoned going for law at uni because i thought it would be boring and nowhere near as interesting as geo. Planning to go into it afterwards.
Oh and I never can understand when people say geo is colouring in. To be honest there is hardly any. There's probably more in other subjects.
Same here, im thinking of going into law afterwards but thought the geog degree would be really interesting and worthwhile to do before
Ditto with the geog and law.
I've been pondering this for a while, I withdrew from Geog this year as I just 'wasn't sure' but now I'm 90% sure I do want to do it next year. Life's too short to do a boring degree you hate, watching Coast on Sunday evening made me realise how much I enjoy it - I understand all the physical processes going on in the world and more importantly I've won two arguments with my know-all stepdad over rivers and weather!!
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?!
I've been pondering this for a while, I withdrew from Geog this year as I just 'wasn't sure' but now I'm 90% sure I do want to do it next year. Life's too short to do a boring degree you hate, watching Coast on Sunday evening made me realise how much I enjoy it - I understand all the physical processes going on in the world and more importantly I've won two arguments with my know-all stepdad over rivers and weather!!
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?!
I'm the same with the geog degree then law - though I want to go into the legal profession (there is nothing else that I would want to do or have ever contemplated doing) I chose the geog degree route as it looks really interesting and (may) give me some sort of distinguishing feature when it comes to getting into the profession. After that I intend to do the CPE or GDL and then go from there. Geography is also perfect for law - it links with so many ideas and social concepts - it's great!!!
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
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
Kev:
2. What about Env/Soc i the first year, especially with regards to the first term of lectures?
4.So true, people can become very bored very quickly when being told about Haussmanisation.
6.I contend that geography is actually at least 7 subjects....
7. I think they might have meant ' town planner'...
2. What about Env/Soc i the first year, especially with regards to the first term of lectures?
4.So true, people can become very bored very quickly when being told about Haussmanisation.
6.I contend that geography is actually at least 7 subjects....
7. I think they might have meant ' town planner'...
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