Why is an Arts degree so shameful?
Every time you ask an Arts student what their degree is, the response is always the same...
1. "OHIMDOINGANARTSDEGREE" (said in .001 milisecond)
2. "um.. a bachelor of arts" (said sheepishly followed by a cautious look around in case someone heard them)
3. "*angry grunt* BA"
And after this information is revealed, all Arts students receive the same look...
Notice the lowered brow and darkened outline of the iris. This stern "What am i doing talking to you, filthy Arts student" look only lasts a second but its noticeable. Maybe this is just at Usyd but it seems that unless you're doing law or something 'credible', you shouldn't be at university. I'm not doing a BA but I still greatly resent not being able to join The Korean Law Society due to my choice to pursue a 'creative' degree.. plus the whole not having three names of three letters each is a hinderance too.
Arts Students have a stereotypical reputation for always laying on the lawn, enjoying hemp and complaining about their 10 hour week. However this is only partly true. While an Arts student's favourite phrase is "See you at Manning", that doesn't mean that they aren't hard working within their Gender Studies and Sociology courses. I'm sure there are dozens of Arts students who will go on to have successful careers. The university agrees with me too. During orientation week I ventured to a "What Can You Do With An Arts Degree?" seminar and these statistics were handed out about what previous Arts grads are doing now.
Alarmingly high percentage for "Cafes and Restaurants" and "Retail Trade", it doesn't demonstrate much good news for what 3 years of an Arts degree can bring. Not that i'm trying to discourage people from doing the degree, it's a great programme with unlimited potential if you're motivated to succeed. It's just important to not choose subjects randomly like a lot of people tend to do and that's, as i believe, the origin of "the look".