1. “What do you want to do with that?”
There are so many things that can be done with an English major. We just don’t know them yet.
2. The general assumption that you must love to read all things.
Yeah, we all have different tastes. Not every English major likes to read everything from Beowulf to The Fault in Our Stars. More often than not, we are still trying to figure out our tastes. Usually we find solace in a particular genre or era of writing, and that’s okay.
3. Reading for class is not the same as reading for pleasure.
Yep. We also sometimes have things we don’t want to read. As with any other student, this decreases the likelihood of us actually doing the reading.
4. Not every English major wants to be a writer. . .
Not everyone who decided to major in English aims to be J.K. Rowling or Shakespeare. The ability to be a good writer is actually uncommon and the creativity to create rounded worlds and characters is even less common.
5. . . . Or a teacher.
Teachers live a difficult life! You can’t fake the passion needed to be a teacher. English majors recognize that, which is why we salute any secondary education concentrations.
6. Some English majors don’t even like reading.
If there were a book about being an English major, this might be one of the chapters.
7. You sometimes feel like you’ll never learn enough.
Reading quizzes are terrible when they cover too broad a text. Then you read, but you get stressed because you have a feeling you aren’t prepared anyway. Then there’s the constant feeling that you aren’t retaining the pertinent information about contexts that are necessary to decipher a text. At what point do you know enough to understand a work?
8. When you fall behind on your reading schedule, you will use Sparknotes, Shmoop, LitCharts, etc. and feel ashamed.
You didn’t think English majors were using these sites as well? English majors made them. Of course we will use them.
9. People tend to ask for grammar help, even though that’s not what you’re studying.
Look, not all of us even understand basic sentence structure and anyone who has moseyed in old timey British lit for too long doesn’t even recall how to spell some words.
10. When you misspell a word or use improper grammar, people seem more offended than normal. . . Even though you aren’t even the grammar nazi that people expect.
As I said, humans do not do the spell good. Don’t expect them to do the spelling right every time.
11. But you do have high standards when you write your own papers.
Comma splicing is a serious crime that I am totally guilty of. Part of that may be due to the mystery of the semicolon.
12. You tend to overanalyze.
13. People often ask why anyone would study English.
They think that English majors can only do two things: write or teach. Little do they know people who write or edit speeches for government politics, write the news they base their stocks on and write content for mass media are often English majors. Creative writing and teaching are valid occupations, thank you. Figures people don’t even appreciate teachers. Rude.
14. But you know you wouldn’t be happy doing any other major.
It’s better to do what you’re passionate about than do something just for money. Plus, some possible careers for English majors pay well.
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