Picking a major is not only a difficult experience, but it can be really stressful. There are some who have it figured out before they even start college, but for a lot of us, it’s a difficult and scary decision. I’m a first-generation college student, and while I never had parents who pressured me toward a specific major, there was always pressure to find something that would “make a lot of money” (I also had and still have friends who are heavily pressured toward STEM majors for that reason).
But to major in a language — that was never something anyone in my background took seriously. The general idea was “pshaw, a language major, that’s not a serious major, and you’ll end up teaching kids for the rest of your life (not that that is a bad thing at all).” But the thing is that I believed that; I believed that for most of my college career, and I avoided language and most other humanities for that matter. But then I took a French class, and here I am today majoring in French, and I’m proud to say I’m a language student. So without further ado, here are some of the perks I find from being a language student.
1. Cultural competency.
One of the main things you learn about in language classes — besides the actual language, that is — is the culture of the language you are learning. For the entire class period, you become immersed a foreign culture, and you get to learn about food, film, literature, music, and so much more! At the end of the day, you are better able to understand the specific culture of the language you’re learning and can relate to it. I would even say that leaning one foreign culture can make it easier to appreciate other cultures because with your bi-
2. Study abroad.
Who doesn’t want to travel the world? What better way to learn a language than to spend time in the home country of the language you’re learning?! As a language major, studying abroad is a fairly important component of your language education — many universities even require it for you to be able to complete your degree. Studying abroad opens the door to international exploration! You get to live in another country, travel, explore new places, eat new food, and meet new people. Every day is an adventure, and the best part is it’s all educational! Just remember to make time for school.
3. It pairs well with basically anything.
Most skills that you have as an English speaker you will be able to do in the language you’re learning. For instance, if you’re a great writer, as a language major you can market yourself as a bilingual writer. If you love to sing, great! As a language major, you’ll be able to sing in two languages. It’s a super awesome skill to have. Same goes for if you want to study something else (I’m also shooting for a political science major, for example). A language major pairs well with any other major or minor. It strengthens your education in another field by giving you the ability to understand it from the view of a different language. This helps you stand out from the crowd, and it makes you more marketable. It’s definitely something good to put on a resume.
4. You’re unique.
So, as a language major, you learn how to speak another language. In the English-speaking world, that makes you unique. Since English has become such a prominent international language, many native English speakers don’t feel it necessary to learn another language and the governments of English-speaking countries don’t feel like they need to mandate comprehensive language education. This shows as the lowest rates of bilingualism in the world tend to be in English-speaking countries. So, what does that mean for a language major? It means that you get the upper hand of being unique!
5. You get to speak another language.
The main benefit you get from majoring in a foreign language is that you get to speak another language. Trust me, it's super cool. You can speak that language with your friends from class. You can speak it with native speakers of the language. Finally, you sound super cool while doing it, and people always get really impressed when they find out that you can speak more than one language.
6. You get to do something amazing, and it's fun, too.
So, if you haven’t already realized, learning a language is amazing. It’s extremely important as it makes you a more globalized citizen, and it gives you a deeper understanding of cultural differences. You grow so much as an individual from learning a foreign language, and you get to learn how to express yourself in different ways. But the best part is that it doesn’t have to be a drag, and it can actually be a lot of fun.
Outside of the class, you can practice your language skills in a variety of ways that don’t just involve a pen and paper. As I mentioned earlier, you can speak it with your friends, or you can listen to music in that language (that’s what I did and it helped with my French), or you can watch movies in that language. Your language education is in your hands, and the possibilities of how you want to practice your skills are endless.
