Why study geography?
Geography is a great subject to study at university. Geography is really diverse so it's unlikely that you won't find something enjoyable to focus on in later years. Trips and travel are an integral part of most courses. It really is true that geographers, as part of their degrees, get to do what others do for fun. Also geography generally attracts a fairly even number of boys to girls, which some people find important.
A good way to approach deciding whether geography is a good match is to ask yourself these questions suggested by current and former students. Do I often find myself thinking about places and environments? Am I excited by the natural world and travel? Whilst these thoughts are not absolutely vital for some parts of geography, many people who enjoy their geography degrees started off with a real passion for travel and a desire to learn more about the world. You don't have to be inspired by these same things, but having something that geography covers which does inspire you is important. Do I mind writing essays? Most geography assessments will be essay based so it is important to enjoy the essay production process. Students do of course improve their essay writing skills over a degree, so don't worry too much if you are not too confident right now. Can I 'rough it' every so often? Fieldtrips are not luxury holidays (although the locations often are). Being willing to share a fairly simple room with others is important. Do I enjoy lots of things and therefore have found it hard to make subject choices in the past? If you find giving up things hard because you enjoy everything then geography is a good options because you get to cover so many different subjects. Interested in current affairs? Especially important for interviews and personal statements, but an awareness of what's going on around you will enhance understanding of concepts and theories, and will help you give context to essays and make contributions to tutorial disscussions. Enjoy reading? Both on the human and physical sides of geography reading is vital. Intrigued (at least a little) by economics, history, sociology, art, literature, statistics, politics, biology, chemistry, physics, geology? An interest in all these subjects isn't vital, but if you can see potential in at least a few then geography is a subject which does involve many of the subjects in interesting ways. These are just some of the things to consider, a majority of positive responses to these questions would suggest that geography could be the right subject for you. |
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