There is a stigma against English majors. There are so many things that we hear all the time and are tired of hearing!
Here are five of the things that we wish people would just stop saying.
1. You’re an English major? Aren’t you supposed to like reading?
Yes, I love reading. I love novels of all shapes and sizes. However, when someone tells you what to read and when to read it… What’s the fun in that? It’s the same way with a library book; I could read that same book in a day, but when I have a deadline set upon it, it takes all my will power away. So yes, I love to read, but when it comes to reading five different things all within a day (A 46-page chapter?! Come on!), then no, I don’t love to read.
2. "So, what do you do? Write papers?"
Yes, I write papers. A lot of them. But would you want to write an essay on everything you read and subjects that disinterest you? Probably not. When being forced to write a close reading about Early American Literature, all I can say is, "Bore!" Give me a topic I want to talk about, and I can write and edit for days, literally, but give me a topic that I don’t find interesting and I’ll procrastinate for days and write a three-page essay in under an hour. Magic? I think so.
3. So what are you going to do, teach?
YES! I want to teach. I want to enter the college classroom with a room full of students who want to engage in discussion and debate literature of the past and present. The truth is, English is the field that holds my love. I love to read, and while others did multiple things growing up, one of the things I loved to do more than anything else was to pretend to teach. Is this the goal of all English majors? Absolutely not! There are more options for us English majors. We’ll be okay. I promise.
4. You must be an English major?
So that awesome event at the beginning of each semester... You know the one I am talking about, right? Buying books. You roam the university bookstore to find the “best” used edition (Because who can afford new, right?) of the books you need for the semester. You have about 20 books in your basket with the occasional textbook that is not an English book. You get all your other supplies and walk to the register. As you are checking out, the cashier innocently asks, “You must be an English major?” Hmm. Yes, I am. I’ve only been asked that every semester since my first year. So yes, these 20 books are because I am an English major. Thank you for asking.
5. Your essays must be perfect on the first draft.
Wow. You’re being too kind, seriously. Do I wish I
could write the perfect essay the first time, or even the final time? YES! Unfortunately, that is not the case. I am not a Grammar Nazi. My first draft is completely full of errors, and my final copy usually still includes a few. Am I a robot or a computer (arguably the same thing)? No. I am just a mere mortal trying to write an awesome essay!
