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Uni for geography?

OK, I'm doing my AS now, and so I've been thinking about universities. I'm pretty sure I wanna do geography, and usually you can specialise in either physical/human after the first year or something, right?

Well anyway, apparently Durham has a good geography department - obviously but do you guys think it's good? Apparently it's a nice place and everything but I haven't been seen the place or been there :biggrin:

I think I'd prefer a quieter university, not like the big city ones because I'm that kinda person, but I still want a social life :biggrin:

So I guess this post is multi purpose, is there anywhere else which is good for geography which isn't a big busy city, and not TOO far away (I live over in the Liverpool area). Apparently Sheffield is pretty good. I don't think I can get into oxbridge, and I don't think it's worth all the bother personally, even though cambridge is a really nice place (I went there to visit my cousin at uni - it's the only place I've visited yet). I like the cambridge style of university, which seems nice and peaceful and quiet, but still fun too :biggrin:

I'm hoping Durham is something like that?

Bah my post is a big messed up, sorry about that. Too lazy to go change it. What university do you guys think would be good for me?
-=X=-

Reply 1

TheWolf

15

Xulfer

OK, I'm doing my AS now, and so I've been thinking about universities. I'm pretty sure I wanna do geography, and usually you can specialise in either physical/human after the first year or something, right?

Well anyway, apparently Durham has a good geography department - obviously but do you guys think it's good? Apparently it's a nice place and everything but I haven't been seen the place or been there :biggrin:

I think I'd prefer a quieter university, not like the big city ones because I'm that kinda person, but I still want a social life :biggrin:

So I guess this post is multi purpose, is there anywhere else which is good for geography which isn't a big busy city, and not TOO far away (I live over in the Liverpool area). Apparently Sheffield is pretty good. I don't think I can get into oxbridge, and I don't think it's worth all the bother personally, even though cambridge is a really nice place (I went there to visit my cousin at uni - it's the only place I've visited yet). I like the cambridge style of university, which seems nice and peaceful and quiet, but still fun too :biggrin:

I'm hoping Durham is something like that?

Bah my post is a big messed up, sorry about that. Too lazy to go change it. What university do you guys think would be good for me?
-=X=-

yea durhams geog department is immense, ive been there. Look at the course contents too, some unis specialise in human eg LSE, others mixed and some has more physical than human

Reply 2

mobbdeeprob

St. Andrews and Southampton are also good places for geography.

Reply 3

Xulfer

OP

1

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/section/0,,6734,00.html

Look at geography for that. Durham is top :biggrin:

-=X=-

Reply 4

Meghan

Guides will tell you very different things about which unis are best at which courses. I looked at several, and found Bristol, Sheffield, Southampton, Oxford, Leeds and Nottingham to be top.

Now I don't care what anyone says about Oxford - when I went to the open days I was very disappointed. The department was a dump - hadn't been updated in years, delapidated, poor modern resources (great though, if you want to study ancient maps...), and generally tiny.

Bristol and Sheffield are my overall favourites (and the ones to which my final acceptances were made) as they have high quality teaching, great facilities and a friendly set-up. The courses are also quite wide in the first year, allowing you to specialise in the second :smile:

Reply 5

amyitfc

as others have said make sure you read the course details. it will also help to see what their research specialisms are, cos thats what they might put empasis on. i remember southampton are quite into something physical (marine????) i cant remember. some will let you choose your pathway in first year (sheffield, reading), but many you have to do phy&human for 1st year, then choose afterwards. i agree with you re oxbridge, i didnt see the point of putting myself through all that just for the sake of it when course details & 'feel' are better elsewhere (plus i know the type of people they reject, school prefects who are loved by teachers everywhere, straight a's & do loads of extra curricular stuff - what the hell chance have the rest of us got?). too many apply cos they think they should, not cos they want to go there.

Reply 6

katiyakat

Durham is beautiful and has the best Geography deaprtment in Europe. But don't dismiss Oxbridge immediately because you think you won't get in. Don't apply if you don't want to go there, but if you would and have the grades for it then it's worth a shot.

Also yey - a Geography forum!

Reply 7

Brown Patrick Bateman

10

Don't take Geography as a university degree... whilst you have possibly more work than people doing more 'respected' subjects like History and English, you're constantly mocked and ridiculed with people actually thinking you colour in maps all day and have to learn the world's capital cities. Employers also treat it as a mickey-mouse subject, with many top companies instantly dismissing anyone studying Geography unless they stand out from the rest.

Reply 8

emzie

I don't think that's completly true jools, quite a few people I know have gone onto get jobs with top companies (MC law) with geogo as a degree. I think go for it if you find it interesting. I mean why would history be any more 'respectful' just learning about events and stuff in the past, and english just studying literature. Mayby this is me just being naive - infact yes it is, but I think times are changing and geogo is now widely respescted, and if it isn't the employers are arrogant wankers and I wouldn't want to work for them anyway.

Reply 9

emzie

Meghan

Guides will tell you very different things about which unis are best at which courses. I looked at several, and found Bristol, Sheffield, Southampton, Oxford, Leeds and Nottingham to be top.

Now I don't care what anyone says about Oxford - when I went to the open days I was very disappointed. The department was a dump - hadn't been updated in years, delapidated, poor modern resources (great though, if you want to study ancient maps...), and generally tiny.

Bristol and Sheffield are my overall favourites (and the ones to which my final acceptances were made) as they have high quality teaching, great facilities and a friendly set-up. The courses are also quite wide in the first year, allowing you to specialise in the second :smile:

The geogo department is moving into a newly renovated building (used to be chem but has been renovated for geogo) and anyway the building its in at the mo is HARDLY a dump!!!!

I had an offer from durham but declined it - too cold/far away/lifeless
Got southampton as my reserve but I wont go there, didn't like the place. Nottingham's geogo dept WAS a dump, but hey you dont go to nottingham becuase of the academics :tongue:

bristol are wankers

Reply 10

Brown Patrick Bateman

10

emzie

I don't think that's completly true jools, quite a few people I know have gone onto get jobs with top companies (MC law) with geogo as a degree. I think go for it if you find it interesting. I mean why would history be any more 'respectful' just learning about events and stuff in the past, and english just studying literature. Mayby this is me just being naive - infact yes it is, but I think times are changing and geogo is now widely respescted, and if it isn't the employers are arrogant wankers and I wouldn't want to work for them anyway.

Law's one of few examples where your course doesn't matter that much, though the only geographers these days who hit MC are the creme de la creme. In contrary to your idea, I think the reverse is in place - until very recently Geography at university was a widely respected degree, with it's multidisciplinary nature (analysing statistics, literature, interpretating data etc) all looked well upon, though now it's been given the same unfair mickey-mouse tag that Media Studies has.

Reply 11

~ o ~

2

Despite the fact that I am going to be doing Law at Leeds, I am an A level geography student and I think that geographers get a lot of respect! A lot of my mates are doing it, and I know one girl who is now working for the UN...

Reply 12

Brown Patrick Bateman

10

There's always exceptions. But the destinations (1.7MB PDF) of Geographers here is very poor compared to other subjects. Only a small proportion land jobs at top companies, with employers more readily approaching those studying Economics, Maths, PPE... even History, English & Classics (the latter three having a similar workload to Geographers).

Reply 13

Kalypso

1

Jools

There's always exceptions. But the destinations (1.7MB PDF) of Geographers here is very poor compared to other subjects. Only a small proportion land jobs at top companies, with employers more readily approaching those studying Economics, Maths, PPE... even History, English & Classics (the latter three having a similar workload to Geographers).

Surely that is not necessarily indicative of how far you can get with a Geography degree. Maybe people who chose Geography are less likely to be the kind of person interested in getting a job at those sorts of companies.

Reply 14

Brown Patrick Bateman

10

Geography's fine at A-Level; the unfavourable tag arrives at university, perhaps only at the ones which have traditional academic subjects rather than vocational ones. Interest and enthusiasm I once had in the subject has been crushed by its treatment here as a joke subject.

Reply 15

emzie

oh great. yeh i did spend my time recieving crap from the med students when i was up there for a weekend.

grey faerie - im guna do geog and i want a job in a top firm! infact that's ALL i want at the end of this - MC law. and i'm going to get it. Guess i'm just going to have to work bloomin hard at extra curic stuff, although that hasn't been a prob in the past.

Jools - why is geog now seen as micky mouse? What's changed? Are they just being ignorant?

Reply 16

Kalypso

1

emzie

grey faerie - im guna do geog and i want a job in a top firm! infact that's ALL i want at the end of this - MC law. and i'm going to get it. Guess i'm just going to have to work bloomin hard at extra curic stuff, although that hasn't been a prob in the past.

I didn't mean that people who do geography don't ever want jobs at 'top firms' - just that you have to look beyond face value with statistics. just because it might seem like people with geo. degrees don't end up in these jobs does not automatically say anything about the degree. you'd have to look more closely and see, for example, how many people with geo. degrees are interested in/apply for these jobs before you can draw any inferences about how employers view geography as a subject (according to these stats, geographers could be the most sought-after graduates, yet don't end up in the jobs because they don't apply for them)

geo being mickey mouse - every uni has a subject they mock; oxford only has academic subjects on offer, so an academic subject will take the place of mickey mouse course, whether it is or not. geography can come in for a bashing, as does history and even english. people just assume that classicists are mocking themselves by even doing the course. wouldn't take it too seriously.

Reply 17

TheWolf

15

why not do a joint economics course with a minor maths/economics or something? that would make your degree more employable

Reply 18

Geogger

13

Xulfer

OK, I'm doing my AS now, and so I've been thinking about universities. I'm pretty sure I wanna do geography, and usually you can specialise in either physical/human after the first year or something, right?

Well anyway, apparently Durham has a good geography department - obviously but do you guys think it's good? Apparently it's a nice place and everything but I haven't been seen the place or been there :biggrin:

I think I'd prefer a quieter university, not like the big city ones because I'm that kinda person, but I still want a social life :biggrin:

So I guess this post is multi purpose, is there anywhere else which is good for geography which isn't a big busy city, and not TOO far away (I live over in the Liverpool area). Apparently Sheffield is pretty good. I don't think I can get into oxbridge, and I don't think it's worth all the bother personally, even though cambridge is a really nice place (I went there to visit my cousin at uni - it's the only place I've visited yet). I like the cambridge style of university, which seems nice and peaceful and quiet, but still fun too :biggrin:

I'm hoping Durham is something like that?

Bah my post is a big messed up, sorry about that. Too lazy to go change it. What university do you guys think would be good for me?
-=X=-

What about Exeter or Swansea? Exeter might be a bit far but Swansea is lovely, campus is right on the beach and near the Gower peninsula (really beautiful) and yet you've got the city close at hand if you want it.

Reply 19

Brown Patrick Bateman

10

grey faerie

I didn't mean that people who do geography don't ever want jobs at 'top firms' - just that you have to look beyond face value with statistics. just because it might seem like people with geo. degrees don't end up in these jobs does not automatically say anything about the degree. you'd have to look more closely and see, for example, how many people with geo. degrees are interested in/apply for these jobs before you can draw any inferences about how employers view geography as a subject (according to these stats, geographers could be the most sought-after graduates, yet don't end up in the jobs because they don't apply for them)

Yeah in theory that's a good argument, but I know plenty who applied for internships and were instantly rejected, despite having 1sts in their exams, pushing the right buttons elsewhere etc. I don't think so many people would be temping out of choice.

sophetta

Actually, from what people have told me geography is considered better than history or english, because of diversity of the subject. I don't know when it was suddenly given this unfavourable tag, because I haven't come across it all- its supposed to be a good, interesting and worthwhile course.

Maybe it's just here then - Emzie, the reason for Geog recently being looked at unfavourably is that the whole backlash against the government's 50%-in-uni thing means that people are likely to be elitist against those doing less traditional subjects. Whilst for the more modern universities this would include Media Studies, Communication, Golf Management etc, when it's all academic subjects here Geography seems to come bottom of the pile, especially with the Americans who stopped studying 'Geography' at High School, with the course content being split across Sociology, Biology etc.

Uni for geography?

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