How to do Geography well

To do Geography well, you have to have a conviction that it will help in your future career.

Some students choose to do Geography. I do not wish to interfere with their choice. After all, in Singapore, there are honestly so many more interesting subjects to specialise and spend time with.

For instance, English Literature and History are great for prospective lawyers to have the skills to define legal terms better, Mathematics and Physics are necessities for future engineers, while Chemistry is a prerequisite for healthcare professionals in general. Most students may also choose to do Economics to have a wider perspective of business activities in general. Even China or India Studies in English are useful for students to understand contemporary rising societies in the two biggest nations that will shape our futures. Then there are always the languages such as Spanish, German, French, Japanese, Chinese, Malay, Arabic and so on, that give us a base so the State can send students to different various countries for diplomatic and economic needs.

Then there is Geography. Obviously, I highly recommend Geography to students as the contrasting H1 or H2 Arts and Humanities subject. For some students, this is indeed a much more superior subject to take as compared to other subjects.

Indeed, most students would choose to do the standard subject combination of Mathematics, Chemistry, Physics and Economics, because this would open door to almost all careers (except perhaps Life Sciences, substituting Physics for Biology). Future scholars would wish to take them all at H2 level, while typical A Level students may take Economics at H1 level. Economics is indeed useful for most students who may aspire to do management at some point in time.

However, not all students have to follow the norm. The world calls out for special people with special talents and skills for our future. If you know you are heading towards Engineering, just do Physics, and if you know you are leaning towards biodiversity, feel free to skip Economics because it might get in the way of saving the Earth (because nature is priceless).

Actually the best complementary subjects for many Geography students to take are Mathematics and Physics, traditionally science subjects, especially budding geotechnical and civil engineers. You need a sense of place and being to create a vision out of a given space. And with the advent of Pokemon Go, I feel even IT and computer scientists may have some need for Geography, because there is clearly a demand for geographical location services with better spatial awareness and interactivity with other people using Geography. And with the emphasis on biodiversity, for the purposes of admission into NUS Environmental Studies course, some students may choose to take Biology over Physics to have a better understanding of biodiversity.

As Stephen Covey would put it best, 'begin with the right end in mind'. As a Geography tutor, even for O Level students, I will always look at the end destination in mind: the best grade attainable for Geography. I am not a fantastic student, but I definitely have an idea what Geographers should ideally be if they are at the top of their fields: an eye for the spatial and environmental relationships with other people, ecosystems and ideas.