How is studying Geography at university?

1

I am doing Physics, Maths and a modern language at A-Level but I've been super interested in geography since GCSE (didn't pick it at A-Level due to pressure from family). I just wanted to know how it is, what sort of stuff is covered (both physical and human), what skills you learn and anything about it at all as I am quite interested in both sides of it, and always have been.

Reply 1

UniofReading

Official Rep

14

Original post

by lowly-distractio

I am doing Physics, Maths and a modern language at A-Level but I've been super interested in geography since GCSE (didn't pick it at A-Level due to pressure from family). I just wanted to know how it is, what sort of stuff is covered (both physical and human), what skills you learn and anything about it at all as I am quite interested in both sides of it, and always have been.

Good afternoon,

The University of Reading offers an ambassador scheme, allowing prospective students to connect with current students. You can find more information here. Hafran is our geography ambassador, and she can answer any questions you may have about the course and what to expect. I recommend getting in contact with her; it is free and easy. Hafran's profile is here.

There are several different Geography degree courses available at the University of Reading. The University of Reading assesses every application on an individual merit basis, ensuring that every student's application is considered; this is the contextual offers scheme. However, this does not mean that every student receives an offer from the university.

When I was applying to the university, I found it very helpful to attend an Open Day. However, for students who live far away or do not have access to an Open Day, there is a Virtual Tour that prospective students can view from the comfort of their own homes. I highly recommend taking a look at the Virtual Tour, as it offers an insightful view of the campus.

All the best,
Ella
Bsc Ecology

Reply 2

BetaVersion2.9

9

It's worthwhile taking a look at different uni geography courses to find the blend of topics you're interested in. There's no set curriculum at degree level, and each uni will offer a unique opportunity. At oxford they cover geomorphology, climate change, ecology and conservation, geographical methods and stats, place and space, community identity.

Check out this short video Geography at Oxford

(edited 2 months ago)

Reply 3

UniofReading

Official Rep

14

Original post

by lowly-distractio

I am doing Physics, Maths and a modern language at A-Level but I've been super interested in geography since GCSE (didn't pick it at A-Level due to pressure from family). I just wanted to know how it is, what sort of stuff is covered (both physical and human), what skills you learn and anything about it at all as I am quite interested in both sides of it, and always have been.

Good afternoon,

The University of Reading offers an ambassador scheme, allowing prospective students to connect with current students through messaging; more information can be found here. You will be able to find a geography ambassador whom you can ask these questions to.

Additionally, the geography modules can be found here in the Modules section.

The University of Reading assesses every application on individual merit, ensuring that every student's application is considered; this is the contextual offers scheme. However, this does not mean that every student receives an offer from the university.

All the best,
Ella
BSc ecology

Reply 4

Uni of Southampton Students

Official Rep

16

Original post

by lowly-distractio

I am doing Physics, Maths and a modern language at A-Level but I've been super interested in geography since GCSE (didn't pick it at A-Level due to pressure from family). I just wanted to know how it is, what sort of stuff is covered (both physical and human), what skills you learn and anything about it at all as I am quite interested in both sides of it, and always have been.

Hi @lowly-distractio

I’m currently studying Geography Ba at the University of Southampton and I’m in my final third year.

At Southampton we have 4 geography degrees: Geography BA, Geography BSc, Human Geography BA, and Physical Geography BSc. Usually when a geography degree is a Bachelor of Arts it tend to be more human orientated and a Bachelors of Science is more physical.

For the first year however both Geography Ba and BSc complete the same modules. This meant that I was able to get a real taste for what studying both human and physical geography was like at university. It also gave the opportunity for students, who were not set on either the human or the physical side of geography, time to switch between the two degrees.

Even when you choose one or the other degree you’re not exactly set between human and physical as you’re able to choose optional modules in the other degree. Alongside this you’re also able to choose modules outside of the geography school and say pick up a module learning a new language or even doing a maths module if that’s something you enjoy etc.

If you are more certain on doing human or physical then the Human Geography Ba and the Physical Geography BSc is more suited to you.

For my degree then I’ve been able to cover a lot of topics and themes due to the freedom of optional modules. There is compulsory modules you will have to take however to learn about the core principles of geography and research. Here are only some modules I’ve taken to give you an idea of what I’ve covered within my degree:

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Cultural Geography

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Migration and Development

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Geographies of Social Justice, Welfare and Rights

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The Creative Economy

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Race and Ethnicity in Society

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Global Sustainability Challenges

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Economic Geography

With geography you’ll definitely learn about using digital tool such as excel and Geographical Information Systems (GIS). GIS is key to geography as it’s basically a mapping system, and a very crucial skill to learn for future employment. You can take advanced modules in it (like I did) to then put on your CV and stand out.

Personally you’ll be able to gain a lot of transferable skills from geography as it tends to cover a wide range of topics, ideas and real world problems. You’ll be able to gain analytical and data presentation skills, crucial to your final dissertation. Over my degree I’ve done a mixture of group projects and independent projects (mainly independent however), so you’ll be able to improve communication, public speaking and organisation skills.

Geography is a very ideal subject if you have an interest in many aspects of the world and not a specific one, so like politics, sustainable energy, economics, population dynamics etc.
Hope this helps and I’m happy to answer any more questions!
Lucy

How is studying Geography at university?

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