I always enjoy watching people’s reactions when I tell them I’m planning on majoring in Classics. If you major in any area of humanities, such as Philosophy, English, History, Religion, or anything in between, you soon discover that people tend to have a lot of thoughts on what you’ve chosen to do with your college career, and aren’t afraid to voice them. Here are the five things I’ve most often heard from others regarding my major, and the best and worst ways I’ve found to respond to their often misinformed opinions.

1. “What does that even mean?”

This one isn’t so much for the English or Music majors, but if you major in Linguistics, Classics, or something even more bizarre like Eastern European Art and Literature History, you’re likely to get a lot of blank stares when you tell people your college plans. Be prepared to have to explain your major a little to those business and engineering folks who’ve only been in the english building once.

What You Shouldn't Say: “I have to read books and stuff about that thing.”

What You Should Say: *Launch into a super passionate explanation of your major and tell them about all the classes you’re taking and why it’s the best.*

2. “You can’t do anything with that!”

I’ve had people say this to me several times, and I’m always amazed at how nonsensical this statement is. While it’s much easier to see the career path of someone majoring in Business or Chemistry, a Performance Studies or American History major can be a little harder to track. However, the best part of majoring in the humanities is that you can do literally anything with your major. Being knowledgeable of the human experience will be helpful whether you are teaching sixth grade english, building your own business, or designing electrical systems for airplanes.

What You Shouldn't Say: “Well you majored in ______ and it’s not like you’re doing anything great with your life.”

What You Should Say: “Actually, a lot of employers look for people with humanity backgrounds because we are excellent writers, communicators, and are good at connecting to others. I’m going to have a wide variety of career paths to go down.”

3. “What are you planning on doing with that?”

I put this question and number two in different slots because they are a little bit different and require slightly different responses. If you’re anything like the future oriented person who is asking the question, there’s a good chance you already have your entire life planned out and how you’re going to take your philosophy degree and become the best lawyer this universe has ever seen. Or maybe you’re like me and are a little, shall we say overwhelmed with the possibilities of your future employment. In other words, you have no idea what you’re going to do with your Slavic Studies major and need a little ammo in your conversational arsenal.

What You Shouldn't Say: “I don’t know.” (It’s okay if you don’t know what you want to do, but this response will usually be met with raised eyebrows and judgmental looks)

What You Should Say: Either tell them your life plans OR, “You know, I’m not really sure right now, but my major provides me with lots of skills that are applicable to a wide variety of jobs. That way when I find an opportunity I’m interested in, I’ll be able to jump on it.”

4. “That’s so cool!”

This is the best one, and if you’re really lucky it will be followed up with the question, “Can you tell me more about it?” For some reason, there is some stigma against the humanities as being easy or useless, and it’s so nice to find an awesome person who not only appreciates the value of your major but also the hard work you’ve put into your school work. The humanities are not easy, and it’s nice to get a reminder of how interesting our majors really are.

What You Shouldn't Say: “Guh, it’s so hard and I’m doing like eighteen hours of homework every night and my professors are confusing and the one gave me a C on my last assignment which is totally bogus and why did I ever do this to myself.”

What You Should Say: “Thanks! It can be hard sometime but my major is really cool and I absolutely love it.”

5. “Why do you want to do that?”

This is the hardest one, and the one people tend to ask the most often because, hey, they want to know why on earth you’d want to learn two dead languages for your classics major. What you do isn’t always going to make sense to others, and that’s okay. If you’re in the humanities, chances are you're not in it for the money but rather because you are really passionate about your subject and want to share that passion with others.

What You Shouldn’t Say: “I didn’t know what I wanted to do and this major seemed easy.”

What You Should Say: “Because I love my major and there’s nothing I would rather be doing.”