If you’re reading this article, chances are you’ve watched my current TV show obsession, Derry Girls. If you haven’t, please take this time to go check it out; it’s only three seasons, and trust me, it’s life-changing.
The show follows the lives of five teenagers living in Ireland in the late ‘90s, adopting a mostly light and comedic tone while still including some beautifully written, heart-wrenching moments. I think it should be required viewing for all lovers of the coming-of-age genre.
Enough summary—here’s what major each Derry Girls character would pick.
Erin Quinn: Literature, Media, and Culture
While all five of the main cast are equally as important in my heart, I feel like it’s only right to start with the official “main character” of the show, Erin.
From her 18th birthday party theme being “Literary Greats” to her brief time running the school’s newspaper, as well as her ambitions to become a famous writer, making Erin an English major just makes sense. I think she would especially appreciate the addition of the word culture in the major’s title, even if she can’t specify exactly what she finds interesting about it.
Erin prides herself on being influenced by classic authors while also aspiring to be a modern, forward-thinking woman. This is why I think this major fits her perfectly.
Orla McCool: Dance
Orla is decidedly the most free-spirited member of the group; she’s incredibly confident in her own skin and doesn’t care about what other people think of her. While her strengths may not lie in conventional intelligence, she brings her own type of charm to the series and goes through life with a sense of childlike wonder.
There are multiple times within the show where Orla and the rest of the group put on performances, and with Orla’s natural lack of anxiety about being in front of an audience, a major like dance makes a lot of sense for her.
Clare Devlin: Risk Management & Insurance
Clare is the most ambitious and academically focused out of all of her friends, and also the most anxious. She’s constantly thinking about worst-case scenarios and everything that can and will go wrong.
She loves to think ahead, even when the rest of the group would rather be impulsive teenagers. Sometimes this is warranted, and sometimes it’s not. So I think it would be healthy for her to tunnel some of her nervous energy into other people’s problems instead of just her own, which made risk management an obvious choice.
Michelle Mallon: Fashion, Merchandising, and Product Development
Let’s be honest, Michelle would probably pick this major thinking it would come with free clothes and the ability to “connect” with various male models. I think after she got deeper into the program, she would realize how much it suits her. She’s very outgoing and fond of attention, making her possibly incredible at networking. Also, whenever we get the chance to see her out of school uniform, she’s usually layering different jackets and accessories, along with matching jewelry and makeup.
James Maguire: Political Science
As the group’s punching bag, James is often criticized for being English, which is possibly the worst thing to be in Ireland in the show. I think he would decide on political science to try and prove to the group, and especially Erin, that he wants to change the relationship between the two countries and maybe even the world.
He would then have an identity crisis halfway through college and realize that his goals were probably unrealistic and had nothing to do with the major he chose anyway, and ultimately follow the pre-law track and attempt to become a lawyer. Of course, the girls would most likely criticize him for this as well, calling him money-hungry or sleezy. He really can’t win.
If you’ve made it this far and still haven’t started at least the pilot episode of the series, consider me offended. It’s the perfect cozy vibe for fall, so now wouldn’t be a bad time to try it out. It will have you listening to The Cranberries and randomly talking in an Irish accent for weeks; I know this from experience.
Want to see more HCFSU? Be sure to follow us on Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and Pinterest!