I get a lot of flack as an English major but before you roll your eyes and scroll to the next article, this might open your eyes to how difficult being an English major actually is.
I used to want to be a pediatric nurse or a veterinarian, but sadly, Math 102 was already a struggle for me. No, I'm not dumb, I'm just not strong in math like other people.
I was tutored all throughout high school for math. I actually really enjoyed some math, but that does not mean I'm good at it. I was always a very strong reader and a very strong writer. I was a part of my school newspaper, I took advanced English classes, but that does not mean English is in any way easy.
Talking to one of my professors, even she told me that being an English major is admirable because people do not really know how to write that well anymore, especially with social media and texting. English majors are also needed desperately in the business world, but no one seems to acknowledge it.
Being an English major (even if you love it) can be incredibly difficult. Most of my friends have not had to write more than a five-page essay, but there have been all-nighters I've pulled in order to finish an 11-page paper. The research that has to go into long papers can be exhausting, and as an English major, grammar and citations have to be flawless.
The reading comprehension skills of an English major are expected to be above average, even when the novel or piece you're reading is the most boring thing you have ever experienced. I have had professors assign 80+ page books within a day, on top of other work.
English majors have to have impeccable spelling skills, and big words (used correctly) is a MUST.
There is nothing easy about being an English major. I may not do formulas for homework, but I have to analyze genres of literature and the history of authors with a fine-tooth comb. I have to make sense out of pieces that wouldn't make much sense to other people if they read it.
English is an art. Writing is an art. Writing creative writing pieces are the hardest because you have to dig deep enough to write about the things that hurt. There is nothing easy about ripping your heart to shreds to make art that other people can relate to. There have been multiple instances where I've had to write a creative piece or poetry and it has made me cry because you are exploring your feelings in ways that you did not want to.
I never undermine a Math major because I struggle with math and I cannot imagine the struggle of their homework. I never undermine a chemistry major because chemistry was not easy for me in high school. Everyone has strengths and weaknesses with subjects and some people really struggle with English.
I wish people would stop telling me my major is easy because there is nothing easy about writing all the time. There is nothing easy about having a subscription to dictionary.com because it is important to learn new words and synonyms. There is nothing easy about staying up to read different, lengthy pieces for different English classes. Just because we learned the basics of reading and grammar in elementary school does not mean we held onto those lessons or that we absorbed it.
Even now, I see my peers in college that do not know how to use a comma, that do not know the difference between "there", "their", and "they're", that do not know the difference between "two", "too," and "to".
