Every degree has a classic stereotype

If there’s one thing you’re guaranteed to encounter at uni, it’s degree stereotyping. People’s perception of your course can be pretty accurate, unfair, or downright harsh, but there’s no escaping it. The Tab looks at a few of the classic degree stereotypes that we are all familiar with at some point in our university life.

Geography

Studying Geography myself, I can’t count the number of times I’ve been subjected to the “colouring in” jokes. Funnily enough we don’t spend our time colouring in maps, or memorising where all the counties in England are. We prefer to look at the important stuff, like place and space (yes, they are two different things). Everyone also seems to presume people who study Geography never get lost. This is completely untrue. If anything, we don’t know where on earth we are going more than the average person.

I do love my colouring pencils though

Third year Geography student Gina said: “A lot of people think we do Geography for the field trips. We do get to go to some cool places – and we don’t even have to colour anything in!”

Living it up in Berlin with our colouring books

Medicine

Medics are generally seen as committed individuals who work hard and play hard. Everyone is in awe of how many 9am lectures they endure throughout their seven years at uni. They’re pretty much guaranteed a job at the end of their degree, and they get the whole of the medical school to themselves, the far-off grey land beyond the station. Most of us Arts students haven’t even ventured there (because we’re not allowed in). It’s hard to resist the temptation of asking them to diagnose all of your health worries. It helps them practice, right?

Arts

There’s much more to an Arts student than their trusty backpack and the fact they’re extremely protective of the Mason Lounge. Arts students get a lot of stick for their supposedly ‘unemployable’ degrees and apparently undeserved reading weeks, but you’ve got to admire their devotion to this creative avenue of study. I know I couldn’t read that many books in a week.

Sports

Those doing sports-related degrees are often stereotyped as either gym-obsessed guys constantly talking about their protein shake diet, hard-core Sports Night enthusiasts, or those who love to wear their UoB sports hoodies every time they leave the house.

Sports and Exercise Science student Rachel says: “If you don’t dress yourself in the latest sports-wear, you pretty much stick out like a sore thumb. Most of the girls on our course can turn up to lectures fresh-faced- I feel over-dressed just wearing heeled boots and eyeshadow.”

Pumpin’

Economics

They won’t stop talking about their grad scheme at RBS, but at least they may have some idea about the state of our economy. They are witty and dedicated as they know they are bound to succeed.

Law

You don’t want to get on the wrong side of a Law student – after all, they may just be a high-powered bad-ass lawyer one day. A general concern for them: “We’re stereotyped as stuck-up twats, and it’s true.” Lawyers know they have the power and they aren’t shy of broadcasting it.

Maths

Maths students are typically expected to be human calculators, and it’s natural to want to fire a shit load of arithmetic questions at them. If you’ve ever sat next to a Maths student in the library, and curiously peered over their shoulder at their work, you’ll be captivated by how bloody confusing it looks. It’s a long way from the GCSE and A Level Maths we struggled with at school.

Constantly highlighting

Business 

Everyone has Macbooks. Enough said.