Many English majors everywhere know that being one comes with its own struggles and successes. We take pride in our large vocabularies, our extensive book collections, and the fact that we might have read the "Harry Potter" series at least 10 times. As all majors in their respective areas of study, we are passionate about ours. Whether you enjoy poetry or plays, novels or short stories, digitized books or paper tomes on the shelf, this list represents 15 things that we can all relate to.
1. “Will you teach with your degree in English?”
You have been or will be asked this million-dollar question so many times you will wish you had a sign above your head that reads: Don't ask me about teaching.
2. Yes, you could be a teacher, but you could also be a journalist, editorial writer, publisher, author, artist, broadcaster, public relations specialist, and many other professions.
The list goes on and on.
3. When you receive a disappointing grade on anything involving science or mathematics, your excuse is: “I'm an English major!”
4. Non-English majors have begged you to proofread a paper, but you end up editing it so much that you might as well have written it for them.
5. Grammatical errors are a pet peeve, especially the improper use of apostrophes and commas.
6. Though you have often been plagued with the dreadful curse of Writer's Block, you can still write a 10-page paper in your sleep.
7. "10 Things I Hate About You” is more than just a teen drama/romantic comedy.
8. You have more books than bookshelf space.
9. You have strong opinions on which “Pride and Prejudice” film/TV adaptation is the best.
10. As a child, you always had your nose buried in a book and most likely still do.
11. You have a favorite literary movement.
12. "Sorry, I can't. I have a paper to write,” is a believable excuse when avoiding doing anything.
13. Coffee and tea are must-haves.
14. Reading is more than just for education, it is fun!
15. The majority of your classes will be writing intensive, and when you have finally finished one essay you will realize that you still have two more to write.
Now, we may not all have nametags with “Hello, I'm an English major” on them or tweed jackets with patches on the elbows, or spend our evenings in dark coffee shops brooding over the relationship between Cathy and Heathcliff. But have no fear, it eventually gets easier to spot your fellow English enthusiasts from the sea of students on campus. We are everywhere, ready to discuss our love of literature, throw our hands up in exasperation at grammar mistakes, and wax lyrical about the latest novels we have read.
