Senior year, for most students is
dedicated to procrastination and senioritis but for some it’s for panicking
about their future. It’s a common theme among students to feel uneasy about
their academic choices and future after graduation.
English majors are not exempt from
that fear but seem to mask their nervousness due to their easy going nature.
The truth is, every choice a
student makes impacts their career in either a positive or negative way and
without hindsight many students are left uneasy. There is no direct path when
going through ones academic journey. Students learn along the way what choices
they need to make to impact them positively. I interviewed five English majors
to see how they got to where they are today.
Jared Lampe was originally a video
game design major that changed his major after getting his toes wet into field experience
that he did not enjoy. He realized that the major he was in was more for programmers
and artists but he was drawn more to the written aspect. With his knew major
change he is feeling more confident and is enjoying what he is studying. He
wishes that he would have had more of a background in the major he was
originally in but also he wishes he would have known more about English for New
Media.
Ashley Geditz is an English Ed
major who has found herself in her third year of schooling and miserable. She
feels that she is too far along in her major to switch now but constantly
battles between switching or finishing her schooling out. She imparted her
wisdom by providing people with the hindsight that she did not have when she started
in the major. She warns future students that they may have to switch advisors
throughout their career so be prepared for that. Her biggest caveats were
focused around classes. She warns that certain classes are offered at certain
times so if they are a necessity to your major you should take them while they
are available but she also suggests that you should not be afraid of stepping
outside of your comfort zone and try classes outside of your major.
Brianna Prill is studying English
Education, with a minor in speech theater, and a certificate in English for New
Media. She is happy about her career path but if she had the choice she wishes she
would have known about the New Media major because she has a big interest in
that field. Her biggest advice would be to have a general idea of what classes
you need to take and when because those classes may affect how long you attend
school. She also encourages students to get to know their professors because they
are a major asset along the way.
Chelsea Kruz is an English
Education major with a minor in Educational technology, speech communication, theater,
also with a specialization in coaching and English for New Media. With all
these additions to her major, Chelsea had trouble finding substitutions for
classes that she had missed and even had to take colleges at two other
universities to be able to fulfill her degree. She wishes that she would have
had a bigger involvement in planning out her classes because she relied on an
advisor that was new to the program which led her in the wrong direction. After
being subjected to many failures with her schedule, she wishes she could talk
to the younger English majors and impart her wisdom onto them so they do not
make the same mistakes at she did.
Dillon Dwyer is an English for New
Media Major. He was originally a Biology Education major. After taking
education courses, Dillon realized that he did not want to teach in the high
school setting. He reflected on how he did not like some of the aspects of his
science degree and the turning point was when he was taking a composition class
and a professor urged him to look into the English program. Dillon has a
passion for reading and writing, especially comic books and was attracted to
the English program because of that. He wishes that he would have known that he
found enjoyment out of reading and writing so he could have explored the
English major more instead of setting into a major he was not happy in.
Every
student can agree that they wish they had the hindsight they have as upper
level students when they were freshmen. Struggle is on every student’s syllabus
when they sign up for college. Every choice made provides an impact but no
matter which path one takes, they can chalk it up to the real college
experience.
