After receiving my new class schedule, spending a horrifying amount of money on textbooks, and moving back into my three feet of living space, I can finally begin my new semester. Just like any other college student, I feel absolutely invincible. I arrive early to class, open up a fresh new notebook, and settle into my seat with bright eyes and eager anticipation. The last thing I want to hear is "share your name year and major with the class".
However, it's not what you think. I am not a hermit or have a fear of public speaking. I can even understand why icebreakers are necessary. Getting to know your fellow students will definitely come in handy when you are six coffees deep and trying figure out an impossible math problem. But during the icebreaker, I have to expose my biggest crime to the class. I simply hate the way people look at me when I say that I am an English Major. It is the sympathetic eyebrow furrowing, and the high-pitched "oh" that gets me every time. These reactions are the reason why I feel so embarrassed to tell people about what I am studying.
Yes, I am an English major. I'm sure many of you have already made your judgments about me. Perhaps you think I am taking the easy way out of college. Or I am never going to use my college education in the job world. Maybe I don't even work as hard as the next major. Fortunately, you would be wrong. Every major has their own crazy amount of work. While I am struggling to meet the deadline on a 30 page paper, a Physics major might be racking their brain for hours trying to find the answer to a homework problem. Just because work is not mathematical, doesn't make it easier. When you really think about it, how are you supposed to compare STEM majors to English majors any way? They are on opposite ends of the objectivity to subjectivity scale. In other words, they are simply incomparable.
That being said, I shouldn't have to feel hesitant to share my major. Every time I have a conversation with someone who asks, I feel myself struggling to justify myself. Especially in the classroom setting, revealing my major can set me back in the minds of my classmates. It is important for your peers to take you seriously. Whether you have to collaborate for class work, or form a study group, it is beneficial to you to use each other as a resource and intellectual challenge. However, in a group that looks down on me for being an English major, I find myself straining to build my worth and intelligence back up. In reality, I got accepted into University under the same exact circumstances that they did.
What I do understand is that there is no such job as an "Englist" or "Englisher". I won't have a job right out of college like a Chemist would. The people who care about me are always going to be concerned about this solely because they want me to succeed. I also know that I won't be making as much money as an Engineer. But at the end of the day, a college degree surely means something. I once had a professor that had a PhD in English. Being one of the most intelligent and politically active person I have ever met, I respected her and what she taught in her classes. She once told the class a story about how her friends would joke and say she shouldn't be called "Dr" since she only had a degree in English. The fact that such a well-informed and insightful woman could have her entire passion for English discredited because of a general stereotype bothered me.
I know that major discrimination manifests in every aspect of college academic life, not just for English majors. I can imagine that philosophy, history, literature, and many other majors feel the same way. Education majors for example, are extremely doubted. Even though they will have steady jobs right out of college, they are still not valued for their patience and hard work. I once overheard a student saying that he didn't trust a friend's study guide because she was an Education major. Teaching is arguably one of the most important jobs that exist today. Guiding and inspiring students at any level should be regarded as a prestigious profession. How can these students be considered "dumb" or "immature"?
Naturally, there are many perspectives to this issue. STEM majors, for example, are always immediately believed to be smart. I can't imagine having people conclude that I am a genius right away. The pressure to keep up with that assumption would be overwhelming. It's just not right to rank people based on their majors. If you are absolutely dying to create a secret academic hierarchy in your head, where would you place an Engineering major with a 2.0 GPA and an English major with a 4.0 GPA?
Overall, choosing to experience college as an English major has been the most fulfilling decision I have made. And Literature professors are the best professors I have ever had. There has never been a group of people more passionate. Every assignment I was given was accompanied with a push of enthusiasm. In addition, because of the large variety of classes available to take, I have a say in where my education is going. The classes are much smaller and personal which makes it easier to meet the professor and use them as a resource in future endeavors. And most importantly, I find that my education is extremely diverse. Instead of learning how to do calculations and memorizing facts in every class, I have the ability to study History through literature, economics through journalism, science through linguistics, and politics through writing. The possibilities I have been offered as an English major are utterly endless.
