Degrees and How They Smell: A walkthrough of the academic perfume aisle

Degrees and How They Smell: A walkthrough of the academic perfume aisle

Computer science: The worst. Just the worst. Have you been to the comp sci labs in the science building? They absolutely reek. They never shower because they don't want to get their electronics wet. Yuck.
 
Natural sciences: Distinct aroma of mud, weed, and septum piercing. Strangely alluring.
 
Psychology: Like brown paper bags in a very liminal way. Clean, but kinda musty.
 
SPEX: I bet they reek, but also they might shower heaps because they have nice bodies and they want to enjoy them. Real toss up, this one. Depends on the time of day.
 
Dent: Nothing. An odour as empty as their souls. Maybe they have that weird neutral smell of an empty mouth. Or blood. A sanguine smell.
 
Med: Like Lynx Africa to mask the fact that they haven’t showered in three days. It’s the scent of stress mixed with poorly-devised coping mechanisms. Avoid.
 
History: Musty, like a jacket that you just got from the op shop. You can just tell it’s been there for years. They smell like the back part of SaveMart, or a gentrified mothball.
 
Law: Lizards can’t smell, so who knows. Probably booze.
 
Film: Like they’ve crawled out of their mother’s basement. The scent of unbrushed teeth. Also of cigarettes, but not in a good way. Hard to avoid their breath odour because they are constantly talking. 
 
Politics: Like over-caffeinated coffee and cheap perfume. Repulsive, but in a familiar way, like brake fluid made from fish oil. 
 
Theatre: Lucky Charms - or actually Cool Charm or Impulse Victoria’s Secret perfume. The female equivalent of Lynx Africa. Nauseating and will give you flashbacks.
This article first appeared in Issue 17, 2023.
Posted 1:43pm Monday 31st July 2023 by Rose mills and Lotto Ramsay.