University Wars: Artscism

I'm not a huge fan of the Articism (new term - I made it up) that I have faced ever since I started university. I am an Arts student, and I'm proud of that. I don't mind it when people poke fun at me a little bit, and when teasing is done in jest - I can take that as well as the next person, and I don't mind having a bit of a joke about my lack of contact hours. A little bit of teasing about what I'll do after my degree is fine, I can take a joke, and yeah, Arts degrees aren't exactly renowned for producing high earning graduates.

However, what really annoys me is when people say "what can you even do with an Arts degree?" and, the ever famous (and oh-so-original), *insert obnoxious comment about burger flipping here*. There's nothing wrong with working at a fast food joint - it's just not where I hope my degree will take me, and it's not where I'm planning on working. "What are you going to do with an Arts degree?" and "what are you going to do with an ARTS degree?!?!" are not the same thing - I think you can probably tell the difference.

I'll tell you where my Arts degree is going to get me. It's going to get me into a career that I am happy with. It will (hopefully) get me into postgrad studies in the field that I am interested in. It will show future employees that I had the time, effort and dedication to work through a three year degree, all the while working several part time jobs, travelling, and everything else I have set my mind to. I see my degree as a way of getting me into postgraduate studies (although I could get work based on my Arts degree, especially with my majors as Communications and Political Science/ International Relations). A lot of jobs in the fields of work I'm interested in don't really care what you studied (just that you studied), just if you can do your job well.

The thing is, with a lot of undergraduate degrees, you need to do postgraduate studies to make full use of them. Undergraduate degrees such as physio and occupational therapy will allow you to work in that field, however studying human biology isn't going to make you a doctor, and studying pharmacology as a major of a science degree won't allow you to work in that field until you study it as a postgraduate degree. A lot of people, regardless of whether they are interested in science, arts, design, whatever, study broad undergraduate degrees prior to specifying postgrad.

I work hard for my degree. Yes, I have a low number of contact hours. However, for several of my units, I have a minimum allocation of 50 pages of reading a week, usually in complex language on difficult to comprehend political issues. I have 3000 word essays (and boy, they feel like 6000 words). I still have a lot to do - however, instead of readings and essays being structured into my contact hours - like labs, lectures and tutes - I need to discipline myself and make sure I do them when I'm not at uni. Arts degrees are different to other degrees because instead of learning and regurgitating facts and equations, there is a focus on expression (e.g. essays) and debating your point of view.

While sciences and maths aren't my strong point (nothing quite like that slap in the face after studying for hours for your Year 10 physics final and ending up with 49%), I have a passion for the written word, history, drama, politics, communications, and other artsy subjects. Why would I push myself to study subjects I dislike and that I'm not good at, instead of following my passion? Much as I would love to be drawn to medicine and make millions as a surgeon, it ain't going to happen, and I've accepted that.

There probably are some people who are doing an Arts degree because for them, it's easy. However, that's not everyone. There are probably some people studying Commerce because numbers come easy for them - they don't have to work hard at that. Does that make what they're doing the easy way out? Why don't they cop flak for studying numbers because they hate writing essays?

As for the specific criticism over majors - people study what they want because it interests them, or because of the career that it will get them into. For example, History of Art majors. This always seems to be the major that I hear copping a lot of flak. I have never done a unit associated with History or the History of Art, however I can imagine why people would be studying it. Firstly: it interests them, and they are coupling this major with a second major that relates to their chosen field of work. Secondly (and woah, this one is revolutionary): They want to work with art's history. What? Wow? No? Never!!

Why would I study Commerce when finance and numbers do not interest me? Why would I study Design when I can't draw and it's not something I find fun? (Little story - I drew a self portrait in Year 7 Art and took it home, super excited, to show mum. Her response? "Wow Laura, that's great! Who is it?") Why would I study Science when the longest I lasted in one science unit at my university was 2 hours? (It wasn't too hard, rocks just do not interest me).

So no, I don't mind if you have a joke with me about how I'm studying an Arts degree. You're right - I don't have many contact hours, and what I'm studying probably doesn't seem as hard to you as the wacky engineering stuff you spend your time on. It's okay if you tease me about only going to uni twice a week - I admire you making it in for every health science lecture and tute, really, you're much more dedicated them me!

Obviously Arts degrees aren't the only ones that cop it, and I think we should all be a little bit more encouraging of each other's studies. At the end of the day, us uni students are all in this together - juggling exams, coursework, classes, working, friends, eating, sleeping, trying to keep fit, and also remaining somewhat sane at the same time. Shouldn't we all support each other?

If you legitimately think that an Arts degree is the easy way out (and plan on shouting that from the rooftops instead of keeping it to yourself), two things: 1) Go and write a Political Science essay and let me know how you go. And 2) Make your own damn cheeseburger, because with the amount of work I put into my studies instead of putting everyone else down about their degrees, I won't be the one who ends up in a career that I don't want.