Majoring in English—why so much disrespect?

[Anonymous]

History and English were considered respectable majors in the past. I know many who went on to law school or medical school. They’re generally thought to have good writing and analytical skills. Now, people scoff when you saying you’re majoring in English or history. I know there’s AI to worry about, but isn’t that true for CS and accounting too?

[dony898]

Everyone dunks on English majors until they need help writing a single coherent sentence on LinkedIn.

[Anonymous]

dony898 wrote:Everyone dunks on English majors until they need help writing a single coherent sentence on LinkedIn.

+1

[Anonymous]

dony898 wrote:Everyone dunks on English majors until they need help writing a single coherent sentence on LinkedIn.

I have nothing but respect for English and history majors, but writing a single coherent sentence on LinkedIn is a perfect example of what ChatGPT is good for.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:History and English were considered respectable majors in the past. I know many who went on to law school or medical school. They’re generally thought to have good writing and analytical skills. Now, people scoff when you saying you’re majoring in English or history. I know there’s AI to worry about, but isn’t that true for CS and accounting too?

I don’t know a single English major that went on to medical school.

No way you know many.

[Anonymous]

Dcum is particularly engineering or business only. I don't think that's real life. In the Instagram that announces where graduates of my child's school are going to college, I see plenty of intended social science and humanities majors.

[Anonymous]

The wealthiest person I know (a multi-millionaire) majored in English, went on later to get an MBA, and successfully started two companies. He encouraged his own children to get a solid liberal arts education before picking a career.

[Anonymous]

Read books and write about them and they give you a college diploma just the same as the other students who worked for theirs. (GMU English 92).

[Anonymous]

Due to the high cost of a college degree, people started to treat college like trade school rather than valuing it for education’s sake. High-income majors like computer science and engineering grew, while purely academic majors declined. As AI hits CS and engineering, I think we’ll see students returning to more traditional academic majors and liberal arts degrees that show a well-rounded education and adaptability vs highly specific training.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Due to the high cost of a college degree, people started to treat college like trade school rather than valuing it for education’s sake. High-income majors like computer science and engineering grew, while purely academic majors declined. As AI hits CS and engineering, I think we’ll see students returning to more traditional academic majors and liberal arts degrees that show a well-rounded education and adaptability vs highly specific training.

+1 This makes a lot of sense.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:History and English were considered respectable majors in the past. I know many who went on to law school or medical school. They’re generally thought to have good writing and analytical skills. Now, people scoff when you saying you’re majoring in English or history. I know there’s AI to worry about, but isn’t that true for CS and accounting too?

I don’t know a single English major that went on to medical school.

No way you know many.

Plenty of non STEMs go into medicine.

[Anonymous]

I know women’s studies, studio art, and political science majors from my LAC, who went to medical school.

[Anonymous]

Many from the LMC view education as vocational training and don’t understand the value of a liberal arts education.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:History and English were considered respectable majors in the past. I know many who went on to law school or medical school. They’re generally thought to have good writing and analytical skills. Now, people scoff when you saying you’re majoring in English or history. I know there’s AI to worry about, but isn’t that true for CS and accounting too?

I don’t know a single English major that went on to medical school.

No way you know many.

Plenty of non STEMs go into medicine.

Some do…of course they have to take all the STEM/pre-med classes to do it and that may require a 5th year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

dony898 wrote:Everyone dunks on English majors until they need help writing a single coherent sentence on LinkedIn.

I have nothing but respect for English and history majors, but writing a single coherent sentence on LinkedIn is a perfect example of what ChatGPT is good for.

And yet, to make this point, you have written a sentence that ends in a preposition.