Majoring In English

Prior to starting my (still in progress) first semester of college, I’d been pressured to put a great deal of thought into what I might want to major in. I mean, it is kind of a big deal. However, I was totally clueless. I’d had many suggestions shoved down my throat from all directions, mostly familial, and felt entirely overwhelmed at the prospect of actually choosing what I would do with my life, what I would dedicate so much of my time, effort and money to, that I simply gave up and declared that I was undeclared. I was content with that until, for English 101, I was required to do some pretty intense research on writing within my major. When I think of myself as a writer, I don’t necessarily think of being eminently skilled or talented, but writing is such a monumental part of my life and it’s something I’ve always in some ways appreciated. Not only do I communicate through writing in the currently popular mediums of social media and texting, but I also keep a journal that I write in daily. Writing is one of my favorite forms of self expression, but I also enjoy using to exhibit understanding on non-personal subjects. I also love reading other people’s works. Reading and writing are both activities that I’ve always been eager to take part in. I’ve never dreaded writing an essay. I’ve always just kind of gone for it, even when I was unsure of what precisely I was meant to be doing. Because of this, I figured English might be a worthwhile major for me to explore. And, let’s be frank here, there is absolutely no way I am going to be majoring in mathematics or engineering, I decided English would be an excellent major to explore. I’ve always enjoyed reading and writing and I’ve always been a “follow your dreams” type of person, so I wasn’t particularly worried about becoming further interested in something that would be widely considered “impractical.” On the surface, English may not appear to be practical or lucrative area of study, but it is something that every human being encounters on a daily basis. Every person in every area of study will encounter the application of English both inside and outside of academics. It is relevant in popular culture, through literature, film, and social networks. Many people enjoy conscious reading, whether it be a newspaper article, magazine, or novel. All of these can likely be attributed to an individual with a concrete understanding of the English language and writing. It can be applied to numerous business settings and most of our communication is an extension of the traditional applications of English. It is literally everywhere, which made researching it both easy and impossible. It’s difficult to harness the influences of writing on the studier of English and the influences of the English major on the world because they are endless. Anything from a professional writing piece to a best-selling novel are products of the English major, which is impressive. Through the completion of writing projects oriented around academic majors, I’ve confirmed that English is a major I’d very much like to pursue and I’m very excited about possibly improving on the aforementioned skills that would be developed in earning this degree. It’s a major that can be applied to a plethora of professions and it will allow me to either further continue my education in the same direction or provide an excellent foundation for other areas of study. The possibilities are ultimately limitless.