As a double major in English and Publishing, it can get really annoying to have people ask the same questions over and over again, especially with the English major. Here are some of the questions I get asked, or things people say when someone finds out I'm an English major.
1. "I better watch what I post, you Grammar Nazis will tear me apart!"
We aren't all great at grammar. Not only that, but some of us really don't care that much, unless it's the worst grammar mistake ever.
2. "So, are you planning on teaching?"
I don't want to teach, thank you very much. Not all English majors become teachers. Please stop asking.
3. "If you don't want to teach, then what do you want to do for a career?"
Honestly, I'm not sure. But I don't need to have that figured out yet, I still have two years. I just know that there are way more options than teaching. There are a lot of companies that will hire an English major just because they know they will be able to write well.
4. "What's your favorite book/genre?"
And when I tell them, they act surprised because it isn't something by Shakespeare or Hemingway.
5. "You probably read nerdy books, like The Lord of The Rings or Harry Potter."
Excuse me. Those aren't...okay, yeah they are kind of nerdy. But they are still great reads! Plus, I know plenty of English majors who haven't read either, so it's not really an "English major thing."
7. "I'll pay you 10 bucks to write my paper for me."
Ha! Even if we do like to write, we still hate almost all assigned essays, just like you. We also don't ask for more pages to write, and we celebrate when a paper is less than 1500 words, just like you.
8. "Being an English major must be so easy! You don't have to worry about math or science or anything like that!"
Easy? For your science classes, are you reading over 100 pages a night (just for one class), and writing two or three papers that are at least 1000 words long? Plus, we still have to memorize rules and formulas, just without the numbers. Also, MLA style sucks. APA is so much easier to cite. Just saying.
9. "Hey, you're an English major! What does this poem mean?"
Hell if I know! Half the time, the poet didn't even know exactly what he meant when he wrote that. Besides, I have an emphasis in Creative Writing. Literature is not my forte.
10. "You're probably socially awkward, so I won't invite you to party."
A lot of us, myself included, are probably socially awkward, yes. However, that does not mean we don't like a good party or at least a drink or two. Usually, that's all it takes to get us out of our shells anyway. All I'm saying is, you will probably regret not inviting us.
11. "Do you even watch TV, or do you just constantly read?"
Books are generally preferred, but we do watch Netflix/TV quite a bit, too. We still have lives, don't worry.
Though I understand why some of these assumptions are made, English majors don't live under a rock. We still like to have fun, and we may not want to teach your future children, but that doesn't make us any less "English-y."
