Tab Justifies: Being a Land Economist

So it turns out Land Economy is more than toning and trees…?

Call it what you will (we’ve heard it all before anyway) but the medieval farming, estate management , ‘cow studies’ or ‘how to become a noble’ degree is one of Cambridge’s most mystical and misunderstood.

I feel it is my duty to set straight some of these misconceptions and hopefully show that, contrary to popular belief, the life of a Land Ec is more challenging than it would first appear. 

It’s the effort that counts

Firstly, we are the recipients of relentless jokes about the questionable validity and purpose of our course. Questions progressed from: “what even is that?!” in fresher’s week; to comments like “So. You’re doing farming”.

Probably playing Farmville. Revision, you see

Don’t get me wrong, we secretly love the banter. It gives Land Ec a kind of celeb-status here in Cambridge (any press is good press, right?) and we enjoy the attention.

Secondly, on the question of work, Land Economy is a very varied degree. Quoting the prospectus, and almost every lecturer, reading this course will provide us with ‘invaluable transferable skills’.

That’s all very well, but it creates a challenge when deciding whether to do our 3000 word project on the spacing of street trees (I’m being serious, this one has actually been chosen as a title) or the progression of agriculture from the 1800s.

We don’t even get field trips like the geographers do. The struggle is real.

Fen. Fucking. Shui

Thirdly, we row.

In all honesty, this stereotype about Land Ec students is pretty accurate. Almost all of us have at least tried rowing in our first term, and most have continued. It gives us a legitimate reason to moan about our rare 9am lectures when we have to be at the boathouse by 7am beforehand, and everyone knows how much Cambridge students enjoy complaining.

Those of us who chose to pursue an alternative extracurricular interest are forced to admire the multitude of good-looking rowers in lectures and supervisions. #LandEcProblems

We are undoubtedly the most sociable and fun course (sorry Art History), and we’re very proud of this reputation. Hopefully, this article will have helped to dispel some of the other misconceptions surrounding our degree.

#JusticeforLE