Geography isn’t just about colouring in, it’s as useful as Maths or Chemistry

And your jokes are offensive

brookes colouring Controversial Crayola geographydegree student university

Geography students are ruthlessly persecuted for their entire three years at uni. They spend their lives in crippling fear of the dreaded nine word phrase – “Oh you do Geography? Do you like colouring in?”

They laugh along to offensive jokes like “my brother’s Geography hoodie’s sponsored by Crayola” and pretend it doesn’t bother them. But it doesn’t have to be like this.

The culprits…

This year a record number of 592,000 students applied for university, with undergrad geography applications having risen by 6.2 per cent since 2013. When the figures show more and more people are interested in studying Geography, we can’t let them down by continuing to deride our beloved subject. They’re not doing it because they believe it’s an easy degree, they’re doing it because they love it.

Whether you’re someone who’s studied geography or not, you’ll know of the secondary school stereotype that geography classes consisted of colouring in sketchily drawn maps. It’s true, at GCSE level, there was a bit of colouring in, I’ll be the first to admit that, but it’s not fair to take that stereotype on to university level. You wouldn’t say a French degree is the same as GCSE French, saying things like “Je m’apelle Sophie” so why is it any different for Geography.

Jade De Tourniel, an Oxford Brookes second year studying Geography, explained: “I think it’s because compared to courses like Maths and Science Geography is seen as an easier degree. But people who don’t take Geography at uni are judging it on what they thought of it when they were at school. It’s not fair.”

Geography isn’t easy. Current students at Nottingham gave up their Easter break to conduct painstaking fieldwork in the Peak and Lake Distract, looking at glacier formations and the local economy. Those criticising Geography don’t think of long, tiring days like that when they’re making crayola jokes.

Not a crayon in sight

 

The entrance requirements for the subject should smash any misconceptions of it as easy. At Brimingham Geography hopefuls have to achieve AAB in their A Levels, the same as aspiring Mathematicians, even though Maths is supposedly a more serious and prestigious degree.

Brookes fresher David Paul met the university’s BBC entry requirements for Geography last year, and admits something shocking. “Athe end of the day, yes, I brought colouring pencils to every Geography exam I’ve ever taken…and I used them.” But he maintains there’s more to it than that, and takes breaks from his colouring pencils to study “Geographic theory”.

But David relying on his beloved pencils in an exam shouldn’t be that shocking, and it’s not all that different from any other student liberally abusing their highlighters in a heavy revision session. In a study conducted by the Malaysian Journal of Medical Sciences, scientists found that using colour in work could enhance our brain’s ability to memorise. In other words, colour is a brain stimulant. Which might mean Geographers brains are just far more stimulated than your own.

Graduating with a geography degree may be the best thing you ever do. Despite getting a pretty bad rep for being left on the dole after graduation, some studies find Geography grads to have surprisingly decent prospect. One study found 62 per cent of last year’s Geography grads were in employment within six months of leaving university, in comparison with 56 per cent who studied Maths.

Geography graduates are highly desirable by employers. Their ability to problem solve, integrate effectively with others and their high numeracy and literacy skills, make employers want them and want them bad. Farrah Hassan-Hardwick, graduate from the University of Westminster stated the importance of human geography in everyday life and the work place; “It’s very practical and useful to know about different economies and population change across the world.” 

With other degrees, your employment possibilities are streamlined and pretty limited. Long gone are the Halcyon days where English students can rely on becoming writers, or Maths students Mathematicians (they’re both probably going to end up as teachers to be honest). But with a Geography degree, you can literally do anything you want after graduation. Anything.

And Geography grads have done some pretty impressive things. Before joining the Kaiser Chiefs in the year 2000, drummer Nick Hodgson studied Geography at Leeds. One of the band’s most famous songs “Ruby” sold almost 500,000 copies, hitting number one on the UK charts in 2007. Sure, he’s not the singer, but it’s still not bad.

Fancy a £850,00 villa in Cannes? Chris Tarrant has one – the host from Who Wants To Be A Millionaire who graduated with a Geography degree from Birmingham – along with his £1.5 million mansion in Surrey. Geographers even study among royalty – Prince William has a Geography degree from St Andrews. He got a 2:1 after cleverly switching from History of Art. If you wouldn’t interrogate the colouring in skills of royalty, rock stars and silver fox TV presenters, you can’t interrogate your fellow Geographers.

Dr Daniel Arribas-Bel, a lecturer in Human Geography at Birmingham, told us: “A Geography degree is just as useful as Maths and Chemistry.”

Wise Dr Arribas-Bel said the ease or difficulty of the degree couldn’t really be compared to other courses, defining difficulty as “a personal objective” instead. He added: “What seems easy and trivial for one person can be extremely hard for the next.”

Geographers, the next time someone cracks an unoriginal Crayola joke in your presence remember Dr Arribas-Bel’s words. Take a deep breath, and think of the luxury villa you’re going to buy after graduation.