5 Things All English Majors Know To Be True | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Student Life

5 Things All English Majors Know To Be True

No, I won't write your paper for you.

18
5 Things All English Majors Know To Be True
Unsplash

While we may not all look the same or act the same, there are a few things all English majors can agree on. No matter your university, if you're an English major, you understand exactly where I'm coming from.


1. You own a copy of "Elements of Style."

You may have opened it once for a writing workshop or it's dog-eared and highlighted throughout, either way, you have a copy of it sitting on your desk.

2. You can either write fiction or non-fiction, there is no being great at both.

Every English major must face a decision: are you better at writing fiction or non-fiction. This then sifts you into typically the creative writing or journalism routes. Once you find your niche through various intro classes, you tend to stick there throughout your college years. Why rock the boat?

3. You'd rather write a 10-page paper than solve a math equation.

Depending on your institution, and the credits you may have entered college with, you more likely than not only need to take the easiest math classes possible to fulfill your requirements. Your pre-med and accounting major friends look at you in awe that you have to, and enjoy, read and write papers all the time. The funny thing is that if the roles were reversed, we may or may not be able to solve the Pythagorean theorem.

4. "No I'm not going to write your paper for you."

What typically follows after your friends' initial shock and awe over your paper-writing skills is the question "OMG can you write a paper for me?!" No. No I can't. While you asking is flattering, I can't just snap my fingers and create a work of art (or at least a B+) for you. I will gladly edit it for you, though!

5. You may not even want to be a writer after college.

Typically when you tell someone your major, they go "so do you want to be a writer?" That feels like such a loaded question, because anyone who writes and enjoys writing knows in one way or another, they'll always be a writer. When it comes to my career as a writer, I can't say for sure. Especially for the students who use their English or journalism major as a way to wiggle their way around a career in communications. Don't worry fellow English majors, you're not the only one who's going to walk away with a B.A. in English and little clue as to what we'll do with it.


Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Featured

12 Midnight NYE: Fun Ideas!

This isn't just for the single Pringles out there either, folks

14612
Friends celebrating the New Years!
StableDiffusion

When the clock strikes twelve midnight on New Year's Eve, do you ever find yourself lost regarding what to do during that big moment? It's a very important moment. It is the first moment of the New Year, doesn't it seem like you should be doing something grand, something meaningful, something spontaneous? Sure, many decide to spend the moment on the lips of another, but what good is that? Take a look at these other suggestions on how to ring in the New Year that are much more spectacular and exciting than a simple little kiss.

Keep Reading...Show less
piano
Digital Trends

I am very serious about the Christmas season. It's one of my favorite things, and I love it all from gift-giving to baking to the decorations, but I especially love Christmas music. Here are 11 songs you should consider adding to your Christmas playlists.

Keep Reading...Show less
campus
CampusExplorer

New year, new semester, not the same old thing. This semester will be a semester to redeem all the mistakes made in the previous five months.

1. I will wake up (sorta) on time for class.

Let's face it, last semester you woke up with enough time to brush your teeth and get to class and even then you were about 10 minutes late and rollin' in with some pretty unfortunate bed head. This semester we will set our alarms, wake up with time to get ready, and get to class on time!

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

The 5 Painfully True Stages Of Camping Out At The Library

For those long nights that turn into mornings when the struggle is real.

2926
woman reading a book while sitting on black leather 3-seat couch
Photo by Seven Shooter on Unsplash

And so it begins.

1. Walk in motivated and ready to rock

Camping out at the library is not for the faint of heart. You need to go in as a warrior. You usually have brought supplies (laptop, chargers, and textbooks) and sustenance (water, snacks, and blanket/sweatpants) since the battle will be for an undetermined length of time. Perhaps it is one assignment or perhaps it's four. You are motivated and prepared; you don’t doubt the assignment(s) will take time, but you know it couldn’t be that long.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

The 14 Stages Of The Last Week Of Class

You need sleep, but also have 13 things due in the span of 4 days.

1758
black marker on notebook

December... it's full of finals, due dates, Mariah Carey, and the holidays. It's the worst time of the year, but the best because after finals, you get to not think about classes for a month and catch up on all the sleep you lost throughout the semester. But what's worse than finals week is the last week of classes, when all the due dates you've put off can no longer be put off anymore.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments