I love being an English major for many reasons, even though it is one of those choices that is often criticized by many loved ones and strangers.

1. We have to read a ton of books.

English majors are assigned the task of experiencing the world through someone else’s mind. We are required to escape our own lives for a little bit each lesson and try to learn something from another’s, who may have passed away years before we were born. We can take in different eras, unique situations, and untouched feelings that we have never fully experienced ourselves. It’s a gift from our professors, honestly.

2. We become analyzing pros.

In the moment, it may be a headache-creating task to have to analyze a piece of literature, but it’s pretty cool later to be able to use those skills to impress your friends. Okay, maybe not impress, but probably make them question why you’re trying to understand every single underlying detail of the movies that you watch with them.

3. We develop pretty amazing portfolios fast.

I am proud to say that I have a pretty large portfolio before I’ve even completed my sophomore year of college. It’s a wonderful feeling, knowing that I have something to show at any moment if someone wants to read my writing.

4. We can shock our friends with how many textbooks we have.

I have 28 textbooks for next semester, with approximately half of those being Shakespeare. My non-English major friends believed that eight was a lot.

5. We learn to look at the worLd in different ways.

I’ve learned many different techniques to look at the world around me. Through reading and lectures, I’ve begun to understand different perspectives and how other people’s minds are different than my own. I’ve begun to appreciate the world more.

6. We don't have to stay as long during finals week.

I believe the most exam-like finals that I’ve had during finals week were two. Yes, we have to write a lot of papers, but we can do those from the warmth of our beds. I rarely can take a test while wrapped in blankets and eating junk food that I’ll regret later. I also don’t have to attempt to jam my head full of information, because I can have all the notes I need for my paper sitting right next to me.

7. We have connections with people around the world.

We have read the same materials that someone across the globe may have also. We have imagined the same characters with the same stories, with just little changes based on our separate perspectives. We have examined the same hidden meanings between the lines on the pages.

8. We don't have to remember facts and equations.

Past that one general education statistics class I took my freshman year, I haven’t had to remember anything that involves a number. Whenever I feel down, I just remember that and smile a bit.

9. We are full of odd facts about a bunch of dead people.

Did you know William Shakespeare was married to Anne Hathaway? No, not the woman from the Princess Diaries. Our curiosity often leads us to researching in depth the people whose work we read. It would be odd if we didn’t know about their lives as we read possibly some of their deepest thoughts.

10. We have well exercised imaginations.

It takes work to imagine all of those characters and story lines. Okay, that may be a lie. It doesn’t feel like work, it’s much more enjoyable. Our imaginations bring to life the words that fellow literature lovers have written on the page.

11. We have our secret club.

We unite as the people who are always suspected to be teachers. I do not plan to be one, but I certainly respect the ones who are creating the next generation of our kind.

People can question my choice to be an English major all they would like, nothing will change my mind.