You’ve Made it as an English Major When…

People are fiercely protective over their majors at a small school like Siena. Each major is like an exclusive club that has its own struggles, triumphs, and perks. Today, I’m bringing attention to a tiny but strong group on campus – that of the English majors.

You’ve probably seen us before. We’re the ones lugging those huge anthologies, usually coming out of Kiernan Hall. We sit in semi-circles during class, have ultimate favorite professors that we’ll tell you all about, and, no, not all of us want to be teachers. We’re just like the rest of you with those defining moments that only verify our English major status.

Like that moment when…

1.      You’re far enough into college that all of your finals are papers

2.      You know basically everyone in your English classes and it’s the best time ever

3.      You see someone you don’t know in your English class but then they pop up in every other English class you have that semester

4.      You still shudder at the memories of American and British Survey tests

5.      You’ve taken so many classes that essay topics overlap and you can…recycle certain sections

6.      Your friends see your thick Survey anthology or 50 billion-page novel and ask if you really have to read all of it

7.      You’ve taken multiple classes with the same professor (who you probably call by their first name in secret), who is just like, “Hey, you again!” 

8.      Your favorite professor asks if you can pose with them for a department website photo

9.      You can recite a list of famous people who were English majors

10.  You bond with your classmates over how scary the rooms in Kiernan are

11.  You know which English professors share an office and how they decorate their sides of the room

12.  You have group texts with a squad of English major friends

13.  You share news about your encounters with certain professors on said group chats

14.  You’re actually okay with peer reviews because your partner / professor knows your writing capabilities

15.  You finally have a suitable answer to the question, “So, what are you doing with that degree?”

• English major
• school