'But you're not even doing a real degree'
We’re people too
Here it is, a tribute to us Hull students who, almost daily, have to hear the question; What job will that get you? Those of us who took a degree we fell in love with, only to be eternally tormented by people who think we’re thick.
American Studies is a real degree
Degrees like American Studies are renowned for being “easy”; some would call it completely useless.
In fact, people do say that. In fact, some of the people who are actually on the degree say that.
Us kids who take Am Studs get the whole “so what kind of job will that get you?” all the time. But in reality degrees like this lead down lots of different career paths.
If it was called “American History and Literature” instead of American Studies, you wouldn’t bat an eyelid.
We’re more fun at parties
It’s a really closed minded thing to say that our degree isn’t a proper one, and just because our degree doesn’t directly correlate to a job, doesn’t make it any less credible. The important thing is that you do something you love and that makes you happy.
What’s the point in studying something you’re not passionate about? You’re more likely to succeed if you’re enthusiastic and passionate about a topic, so don’t choose a degree that you’re apathetic towards just because ignorant people think it’s of more use than an arts degree.
American Studies is like every humanities course rolled into one, perfect for the student staggering out of their A Levels with no vision for the future. Do we care that you think our degree is worthless? No, or else we wouldn’t have chosen it.
We do history, film, literature and loads more. No, we don’t sit around and watch Films all day – okay, maybe we do for SOME of the day – but we have just as many essays to write as you. We don’t just Netflix and chill with our lecturer. We have to actually read the film.
It’s just the same as English, but with Hitchcock instead of Shakespeare. If you think studying Film is beneath you, stop watching Films.
After an American Studies exam, it’ll be easy they said
The worst thing you can do is make someone doubt the course or career they’ve set their hearts on, we all have goals, don’t ridicule ours because you deem them less worthy. You don’t need to validate your choice of lifestyle by bringing down ours, if we’re happy with what we’ve chosen to study, leave us be.
No, most of us probably won’t end up being successful in the film industry, we may not become great writers or politicians or historians. We will probably end up stacking shelves in Tesco, right next to you and your “real” degree. But at least we will have spent 3 years and £27,000 studying something we’re passionate about, so don’t put us down for it.
American Studies may be the Holy Grail of all shit degrees. Yes, we do a literal Mickey Mouse degree – yes, we have a Disney module – but we also get to go to America for a year, what isn’t there to like?
And no, we don’t do modules in burger and doughnut consumption.
So stop asking us about our plans for after university, chances are we took this degree because we don’t have one, but it sure will prepare us for whatever career we fall into.
Without students studying subjects like this, we wouldn’t have most of the things we call entertainment. We wouldn’t have film or TV, we wouldn’t have some teachers, comedians or writers. Where’s the fun in a world where people only study “real” degrees like science or maths? A soul crushing existence where children are laughed at for writing stories and drawing pictures when they could be doing equations instead.
We have to understand that everyone is different, and if you want to be a mathematician, or a doctor, go for it, we’ll respect your choices and your passions, just please do the same for us.