Do you remember when you decided what your major was going to be? Can you distinctly visualize yourself saying, “I’m going to apply to be an X major when I apply to college?” Picking your college major in high school is super strange when you think about it. You basically make a choice that will impact the rest of your life when you still get out of your seat based on when a bell rings.
Maybe it was just my high school, but my classmates either wanted to be an engineer, a doctor, or a nurse. I would say that summed up at least 75% of my graduating class. Given my general indifference toward math and my complete disgust toward science labs, I chose a major based on the class I always loved to go to: English.
Now, I didn’t just pick English because it was my favorite subject. Well, that was part of it now that I’m thinking about it, but I did have some logical reasoning when I made my choice too. I felt that studying English would teach me how to communicate better. I would learn how to explain abstract ideas without going around in circles, and I would finally realize the difference between a motif and a symbol. I would learn how to research, and man, I would learn how to skim a book like a beast. All of these things are reasons why I chose my English major.
You know, I was worried about choosing to pursue an English degree. I would say that I was about 50% confident in my choice. How many old books could I get through without getting bored? I’m still haunted by having to read Charles Dickens in eighth grade.
To my surprise, reading the books for my English classes has turned out to be one of my favorite parts of my schoolwork. Now that I have professors who absolutely love and devote themselves to the texts we read, I have learned to appreciate those “classics” even more than I ever thought I could. Who would’ve thought I would enjoy reading Victorian literature?! I’m learning to understand symbols and see different interpretations in the texts I read, and I can see more of the significance and importance of certain characters, plots, and settings. With these skills, I feel like I could read the entire Twilight series and find at least five symbols that are important to the theme of immortality and the existence of vampires on earth.
I have an immense respect for STEM majors. Their brains work in a way mine never could, but to whoever believes the claim that English majors don’t actually learn anything in their college education, I am here to prove you wrong. In my year of studying English, I have already learned how to communicate complex ideas (that seemed out of the realm of reality before), have a greater appreciation of others’ thoughts, and yes, I did learn how to skim like a beast.