History
A comprehensive guide to studying History at university.
- Few contact hours, so lots of free time to explore other interests and hobbies compared to friends studying other subjects
- Thanks to History being an interdisciplinary subject, touching on all the humanities and social sciences, there is scope to tailor your degree to your interests.
- Build knowledge on a wide array of different cultures across time, increasing your cultural capital in conversation! (Underrated pro of History!)
- Topics are sometimes dull and overly dense, begging the question whether the material is even relevant to your life and an employer’s eye.
- Hearing your subject getting belittled as ‘easy’, ‘irrelevant’ and lacking all-round prestige compared to your peers doing STEM or Econ or even Law.
[b]Misconceptions:[/b]
Students think History involves delving deep into archives, piecing together letters by major historical figures, finding a never-before-seen primary source, and finally arguing a thesis that will SHOCK the world! Changing history forever… I wish History was this exciting. Well, it is but in a different way. History at uni is all about:
Fine-tuning a solid argument, building upon the theses of previous historians, about a certain historical event. It’s like creating your own jigsaw puzzle. Except the pieces are hidden in hundreds of pages of waffle by underpaid historians (most of the time).
It’s your job to find the pieces that fit perfectly together that complement your argument. Less about a world-changing letter by a figure referenced in Bridgerton, more about digging to find gold. Good luck ;)
[b]How it compares to A Level/IB:[/b]
History at A-Level is all about learning the ‘facts’ that your exam board enforces you to learn and regurgitate from a textbook.. While at uni, History is about questioning the facts you read. You find that depending on a historian’s socio-economic background, cultural heritage and country of origin, their perspectives change so their interpretation of a historical fact is different to yours or mine. History is no longer black and white. It has multiple shades, and your nuanced perspective gives the field of study more breadth, depth and diversity.
[b]Most interesting/enjoyable topics you’ll study & why:[/b]
Most students enjoy learning about the industrial revolution because of its transformational effects providing the foundations for our contemporary economic structure (for better or for worse).
Whilst most students hesitate to approach British Criminal Law in the 18th century, the topic often alters students’ perspectives on the domination of the law by ruling classes.
[b]Least interesting/enjoyable topics you’ll study & why:[/b]
Most students may find learning about Parliaments, Elections and Parties in 18th Century Britain less enjoyable because of how dry the content is. Often, students find little to be excited about the fine details of qualifications of the franchise.
[b]Where do students studying your degree usually end up career-wise?[/b]
History graduates typically enter law as a solicitor or barrister, finance, teaching and public policy.
[b]What misconceptions are there around the career prospects of your degree? [/b]
No, not all History graduates are teachers. In fact, graduates nationally enter the legal industry, finance, consultancy and public policy. You probably won’t be using your knowledge on Witchcraft and Magic in your day-to-day work but you will be using the skills you picked up along your degree journey.
[b]Are there other ways into these careers?[/b]
The finance and consultancy industry are open to graduates from any discipline, though a more quantitative degree certainly helps. Also entering the legal industry does not require a particular subject. You just have to convert your chosen degree after 3 years to a law degree via the GDL. Simple. Public policy does not require a particular degree as well.
[b]What concrete, employable skills will you graduate with?[/b]
Studying a History degree builds Critical Thinking skills, a strong degree of Attention to Detail, Qualitative and Quantitative proficiency, clear Verbal and Written Communication as well as Research Skills.