For my informational interview I chose to interview Grace Lowe, who recently graduated with an English degree. I found Ms. Lowe using Senior Bank and from her emails I knew that an interview would give me the answers I was looking for. I am still trying to determine if the English department would be a good fit for me so I was particularly interested In how Ms. Lowe decided on her major.
“Going into college, I wasn’t sure what career I wanted to pursue–that said, I knew that my strengths were in writing and communication. I worried that a Journalism or Communications major would restrict my career options, so I picked English because it offered a wide variety of courses and applications.”
This response was extremely helpful because I am also unsure about what career I want to pursue. It made me feel more comfortable with the English major as a serious option. One of the things that originally drew me to the English major was the freedom that comes with an English degree.
There is a common stereotype that being an English major is “easy” and won’t provide a dependable career. I know that there may be some instability in a major that doesn’t have a set path for after graduation, so I asked Ms. Lowe how she got involved and built up her resume to avoid such a situation.
“Admittedly, I was really ambitious with my extracurricular and professional experiences. From Freshman to Senior year, I participated in four internships, joined and held leadership positions in three student organizations, went on a short-term and a semester-long study abroad trip, and held two on-campus jobs.”
“While I would suggest limiting your activities (I was always exhausted because of my packed schedule), it’s important to find what you’re passionate about and get involved with it! I graduated with a jam-packed resume, which made me a very competitive applicant when I began my job hunt.”
Hearing a response like this made it clear that an English degree would be as competitive for jobs as I make it. There are endless ways I could improve my resume. The idea that I could improve my job prospects by participating in something that I’m passionate about is very appealing.
I was curious to know how Ms. Lowe’s hard work regarding extra curricular had paid off. I wanted to be sure that a resume that extensive was successful as I would have imagined.
“I was offered a job with Pearson Education in April–one month before I graduated. That said, I began my job search in February, so I had plenty of time to look. Because I had interned with Pearson the summer before, it wasn’t terribly difficult for me to secure a position with them. That said, I can’t stress the importance of internships and networking enough. People like to hire who they know!”
I was glad to know that internships play hat big of a role in job prospects because It means that my career would be in my hands. Making sure I’m a competitive option for jobs would be hard work, but it would also be completely possible and there would be many different ways to do it depending on what direction I chose to go.
Another reason I was drawn to the English department is because I love the English course I’m taking right now. If other courses are anything like that one, I know I would thoroughly enjoy the classes the English department has to offer. I asked Ms. Lowe what most of her courses were like to get an idea of what studying English would look like.
“I took an eclectic blend of Literature and Composition courses, but my favorites by far were Film and Comics (with Dr. Frederick Aldama) and Career Prep for English Majors (with Professor Jenny Patton). Both courses were extremely engaging, but it was the instructors’ commitment to student success that was especially inspiring.”
Hearing this was extremely encouraging. I like that there is such a wide variety of subjects within the English department and how they connect to almost every topic. When I choose my major, I don’t want to just choose it because it will provide me with a good career, I want a major that I genuinely enjoy studying.
To wrap up the interview I asked what makes someone a good fit for the English department. I’m still very unsure about what major is for me and I figured that some insight into the qualities necessary to study English would help me make a decision.
“Aside from being a strong reader and writer, you’ll need to be a strong advocate for yourself. I knew plenty of STEM majors who would occasionally make jokes about my “easy major,” but I didn’t let that discourage me.”
“As long as you know your strengths and can apply them in a variety of settings, you’ll thrive in any professional or academic setting. Be kind, work hard, and the rest will fall into place.”
Ms. Lowe’s final responses were extremely helpful and made me feel more confident about my ability to choose the right major and thrive within it. I am not sure that English is the department for me, but I know that it is a good option and a place where I could potentially do very well. Senior Bank was extremely helpful in this process and I intend to continue to contact graduates from other departments in my search for the right major.