10 Things All English Majors Have Experienced And Know By Heart | The Odyssey Online
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'That's The Wrong Word' And 9 Other Things English Majors Understand As The Underrated College Major

This major is not all lazy days with a book and tea. There's a lot more to it.

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girl in a bookstore

Here's a list of several things we English majors all know have occurred throughout our studies. From the questions to the love of literature, we all know how much goes into this degree. Whether you are considering becoming or are currently an English major, these are a few things you'll know extremely well.

I've chosen this path in life as it is what I love. I have discovered what I've meant to do with a future career and I hope to one day fulfill my dreams. When I grow up, I want to be a publishing lawyer. To represent publication companies and authors with their future endeavors with any form of writing they so wish. It will take lots of time and hard work. Going from an undergraduate English major to a law student — this is my dream.

1. "Oh, you're an English major, you must want to be an English teacher?"

OK, y'all, let's address this here and now. Becoming an English teacher is a completely different path and major. You would have to be an Education major with a focus on English, not the other way around. Teaching English does not mean you are an English major and that is not the only thing one can do with an English degree.

2. "Oh, you're an English major, what do you even plan to do with that?"

Being an English major is not a useless degree. With this major, one can select a wide range of future career paths. For me, I see it as a means to an end. I plan to use my degree to go to law school and hopefully becoming a publishing lawyer. I combined my two loves of literature and law to create my dream job. There are plenty of other paths such as business, advertising, publications, professors, even teaching, and many other ways to use it as a means to end with graduate school options.

3. "You must have so much free time!"

@penguinbooks / Instagram

I'll respond to that comment after I'm done reading multiple books and plays, plus writing analyses and essays of everything I just accomplished within a short period of time.

4. "You must love to write."

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Yes, I do, but just like everyone else, it can seem like a terrifying task. We get writer's block too. We dread essay deadlines too. We stay up late to finish an essay we procrastinated on. Especially for me, I prefer personal writing (i.e. Odyssey) over an academic essay any day.

5. "It must be so easy just reading books all the time!"

Yes, we love to read, but there's so much more to it than that. We also have to tack on the historical knowledge of the book/ play/poem and know the background of the author and the purpose of their writings. And in addition to all of that, analyze each scene/chapter/line in search of the deeper meaning the author is trying to portray through their words.

6. You always correct your friends when they text "your" instead of "you're."

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C'mon guys, it's not that hard. YOUR is a possessive adjective and YOU'RE means "you are."

7. Same thing goes for "their," "they're," and "there."

Their = possessive adjective. They're = they are. There = location/position.

8. The library and books are your peanut butter and jelly. 

Disney

Or your coffee and sugar. Your bread and butter. Your tea and fuzzy socks. Rainy days and a good book. We all know it's our perfection combination.

The perfect escape from reality involves you hiding away in a stack of books, getting lost in other worlds.

9. When the lesson plan in your class involves a book you love.

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No words, just shear excitement. Let's get to reading!

10. Overall, an English major is a universal degree.

As I stated earlier, this degree can take on many different courses and challenges in life. It's complex and flexible to many different people and their dreams. There's so much more to a book than words, and there's so much more to an English degree than books.

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