English as a major

[Anonymous]

Is it undersubscribed at private T25?

For a kid who likes creative writing, has awards, published book. But also literary mag at school and newspaper. Also interested in publishing, media, and journalism.

Uncertain about major choice.

Thoughts?

[Anonymous]

What do they think they're going to be when they grow up with a degree in English?

[Anonymous]

English is a solid major if you are a creative thinker. You will have to do something to position yourself in the work force, but there are a lot of jobs where you just need a degree, need to be able to think coherently, and need good organizational skills. If your kid is a person who can think strategically, he or she will be fine. And, lots of jobs need a graduate degree, so there is time to specialize later.

[Anonymous]

I’m a firm believer in studying what you are most interested in. You’ll get the most out of college that way and very few people know what they want to be at 18, and most have 2-3 u turns during their career.

I know lots people with humanities degrees doing very well in business/sales. And I’m pretty sure you can get into law (or other professional) school after studying English.

[Anonymous]

AI is going to take over much of the writing, and jobs like journalism. But, there will be jobs for editors since AI output still needs human oversight. But, it won't require much writing.

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20240612-the-people-making-ai-sound-more-human

[Anonymous]

My kid was an English major. Decided to go to med school afterwards. Missed it a lot though feels the major helped with critical thinking and reasoning.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:English is a solid major if you are a creative thinker. You will have to do something to position yourself in the work force, but there are a lot of jobs where you just need a degree, need to be able to think coherently, and need good organizational skills. If your kid is a person who can think strategically, he or she will be fine. And, lots of jobs need a graduate degree, so there is time to specialize later.

Assuming OP's DC graduates in 2026 to 2028, what job would they be able to get with just an undergrad degree in English? Most people who majored in English in undergrad do end up getting a graduate degree to get a good paying job. So, OP is shelling out $$$ for undergrad, and then even more for graduate because of the degree choice.

[Anonymous]

My husband has an English major. He is a development director at a nonprofit now. he writes grants, but also works a lot with people all day. Had no idea about this career when he studied English, but he likes writing and he’s a good writer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:English is a solid major if you are a creative thinker. You will have to do something to position yourself in the work force, but there are a lot of jobs where you just need a degree, need to be able to think coherently, and need good organizational skills. If your kid is a person who can think strategically, he or she will be fine. And, lots of jobs need a graduate degree, so there is time to specialize later.

Assuming OP's DC graduates in 2026 to 2028, what job would they be able to get with just an undergrad degree in English? Most people who majored in English in undergrad do end up getting a graduate degree to get a good paying job. So, OP is shelling out $$$ for undergrad, and then even more for graduate because of the degree choice.

Double major or minor in econ and get a consulting job. A lot of consultants were English, Comms, Public Policy type majors.

[Anonymous]

I was an English major, and it served me very well. Strong writing and textual analysis is part of the reason I did well in law school, got a coveted clerkship, and got offers from top law firms. Incidentally, being a strong writer also requires being a strong thinker. While it's a fairly generalized skill, it's one that many employers covet. Also, I enjoyed being an English major. It was a lot of work--so much reading--but it was usually a labor of love. I'm still an avid reader to this day.

Anyhow, I don't know where the world is going with AI. Nobody does. But I certainly wouldn't assume that CS, engineering, and other STEM fields are somehow safe from our future AI overlords.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:English is a solid major if you are a creative thinker. You will have to do something to position yourself in the work force, but there are a lot of jobs where you just need a degree, need to be able to think coherently, and need good organizational skills. If your kid is a person who can think strategically, he or she will be fine. And, lots of jobs need a graduate degree, so there is time to specialize later.

Assuming OP's DC graduates in 2026 to 2028, what job would they be able to get with just an undergrad degree in English? Most people who majored in English in undergrad do end up getting a graduate degree to get a good paying job. So, OP is shelling out $$$ for undergrad, and then even more for graduate because of the degree choice.

The exact same jobs that everyone graduating with a bachelors in business administration would be eligible for.

[Anonymous]

Waste of money

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:English is a solid major if you are a creative thinker. You will have to do something to position yourself in the work force, but there are a lot of jobs where you just need a degree, need to be able to think coherently, and need good organizational skills. If your kid is a person who can think strategically, he or she will be fine. And, lots of jobs need a graduate degree, so there is time to specialize later.

Assuming OP's DC graduates in 2026 to 2028, what job would they be able to get with just an undergrad degree in English? Most people who majored in English in undergrad do end up getting a graduate degree to get a good paying job. So, OP is shelling out $$$ for undergrad, and then even more for graduate because of the degree choice.

The exact same jobs that everyone graduating with a bachelors in business administration would be eligible for.

Really? When I look at "business" related jobs in linkedin (and I have looked at a lot), they all seems to want a business degree, not an English degree.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I was an English major, and it served me very well. Strong writing and textual analysis is part of the reason I did well in law school, got a coveted clerkship, and got offers from top law firms. Incidentally, being a strong writer also requires being a strong thinker. While it's a fairly generalized skill, it's one that many employers covet. Also, I enjoyed being an English major. It was a lot of work--so much reading--but it was usually a labor of love. I'm still an avid reader to this day.

Anyhow, I don't know where the world is going with AI. Nobody does. But I certainly wouldn't assume that CS, engineering, and other STEM fields are somehow safe from our future AI overlords.

so once again, an undergrad in English requires a graduate degree.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:English is a solid major if you are a creative thinker. You will have to do something to position yourself in the work force, but there are a lot of jobs where you just need a degree, need to be able to think coherently, and need good organizational skills. If your kid is a person who can think strategically, he or she will be fine. And, lots of jobs need a graduate degree, so there is time to specialize later.

Assuming OP's DC graduates in 2026 to 2028, what job would they be able to get with just an undergrad degree in English? Most people who majored in English in undergrad do end up getting a graduate degree to get a good paying job. So, OP is shelling out $$$ for undergrad, and then even more for graduate because of the degree choice.

The exact same jobs that everyone graduating with a bachelors in business administration would be eligible for.

Really? When I look at "business" related jobs in linkedin (and I have looked at a lot), they all seems to want a business degree, not an English degree.

Those rules don't apply if you are at private T20.....plus get the minor/double major in econ etc and you are good (or HOD at Vanderbilt or LOC at Northwestern).