Wednesday 4 April 2012

The first-dateability of undergrad majors

The notion: 

That the courses a university offers could be ranked as to their usefulness for first-date conversation material later in life. Some of the things you learn at university are wonderful flirtation material. Many are not. The whole of a university’s offering could be rated on this basis.

The list:

There will be surprises. Physics can be transcendentally moving (and yet incredibly fucking boring). Intro to English Lit will be high on the list (novels and poems and words, oh my). Economics and Management papers will languish in the murky depths. Philosophy is a double-edged flirtation sword, as like to put the wielder’s eye out as to pierce the listener’s heart. Anthropology tends towards the icky, Psychology towards the gauche. Film Studies students dwell in a bubble (interesting so long as they only talk to each other). 

Behold:

TOTALLY SEXY
Anatomy
Anthropology
Archaeology
Art History
Astronomy (the hands-down, flat-out, knickers-off winner)
Biochemistry
Botany
English
Genetics
Greek (Ancient)
History (the good bits)
Industrial Design
Linguistics
Marine Biology
Mathematics / Music double majors
Neuroscience
Philosophy (but only the dreamy metaphysics scholars, not the uptight reason and argument types)
Sanskrit
Sculpture
Theology
Zoology

SO MUCH PROMISE, SO RARELY REALISED

Creative Writing

UNSEXY
Anything Commerce touches. Especially Accounting, Management and Marketing.
Architecture
Chemistry (ironically)
Criminology
Dentistry
Earth Sciences
Engineering of all stripes
Environmental Studies
Ethics
Heritage Studies
International Relations
Law
Library and Information Management
Planning
Political Science
Psychology
Sociology
Surveying
Statistics
Teaching
Theatre
Tourism

Professor Green’s counter-proposition:

“It has always astonished me that an ancient people are only as interesting as the anthropologist who studies them.” Roger C. Green

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