Lisa's Blog

Category: UMass Dartmouth

  • An English Major Reads Metamorphosis

    Studying business got my foot in the door of UMass Dartmouth. Becoming an English major made me stay. Many people asked me, “What kind of career can you have with an English major?” If I hadn’t been reading and analyzing literature, I may have missed studying a classic story that quickly became my favorite: Metamorphosis.

    Published in 1915 by Franz Kafka, the book starts with a devastating discovery. The main character, Gregor Samsa, wakes up to see that he has turned into a bug.

    How many times have we had a day where something devastating happens that changes our world? Unfortunately, these things happen. A sudden death, severe accident, or cancer diagnosis can change life forever.

    Before turning into a bug, Gregor worked as a traveling salesman. He was the only breadwinner working outside the home. His mother, father, and sister relied on him for everything.

    The story goes on to talk about Gregor’s family and their reactions to his new appearance. Gregor’s altered appearance impacts the whole family unit. Change is not a singular event. It’s a moment in time that touches every character. 

    By the end of the book, the family changes in ways they do not expect.

    This is what English majors do. They learn to carefully read and analyze text. According to J. Beal, “The value of the English major is clear. Students studying English develop the skills of reading closely, thinking critically, and writing effectively.” Beal made this observation and published his findings in 2020. His paper, The value of the English major today, appeared in the academic journal, Humanities.

    An English major is well prepared and has many options after college. What can you do with an English major? Everything.

    Just think of famous people who studied English in college, and you will see the many career options that are available. Graduating from college isn’t the ending, it’s just the beginning.

    Here are just a few famous English majors and their careers.

    • Barbara Walters, journalist
    • Conan O-Brian, comedian
    • Michael Eisner, previous Disney CEO
    • Emma Watson, actor
    • Stephen King, author
    • Howard Cosel, sportscaster
    • Paul Simon, singer and songwriter
    • Mitt Romney, politician

    As you can see English majors have many different choices for careers from writer and journalist to politician and songwriter.

    Being an English major can change us in ways we cannot even imagine. So, how did I go from a business major to an English major? Maybe it was metamorphosis, this time for good. 

  • Books are free… At the li-brar-y

    Follow the link to my guest blog I wrote for a local writing group, Writing With Community! It’s about some of my favorite libraries.

    https://www.writewithcommunity.org/highlightsblog

    Claire T. Carney Library at UMass Dartmouth
  • Why be an English Major?

    Why be an English Major?

    Completing my bachelor’s degree would be easy, or so I thought. It was more difficult than I expected. Graduating from UMass Dartmouth in 2014 is one of the accomplishments I am most proud of.

    Part of my challenge in returning to school was picking a major. Wanting to be practical, I thought about following my interests in marketing and public relations. Although, I found economics interesting, accounting and statistics were very challenging. Fortunately, it didn’t take me long to realize that a business major wasn’t for me.

    I’d wanted to be a writer since I was young. I found Nancy Drew Mysteries fun to read. The books took up a whole shelf on my bookcase. I imagined that writing a book was like making a puzzle. The author would bring the reader along with clues leading to the conclusion.

    I remembered my childhood dream of becoming a writer. Could I really pursue it? Would it be worth it? Did I have what it takes to complete the requirements of an English major?

    This dream was pushed aside for many years.

    I decided to pursue an English major. One of my professors was Kara Miller. She taught journalism and currently writes for The Boston Globe. She has been on WGBH radio for years.

    She often repeated, “Everyone has a story. You just need to find it.” There are stories everywhere.” She taught us how to be curious.

    My English classes with Professor Miller helped me realize I made the right choice to pursue English. I found the first two years challenging. I struggled writing papers every week. Writing became easier in my junior and senior years.  

    I was learning that writing is a skill that takes time and practice to develop.

    College wasn’t as easy as I thought it would be. However, it was more exciting and fulfilling than I ever dreamed.

    What are some of your dreams and aspirations? Maybe you think it’s too late. I learned that I could follow my dreams to complete my college degree. It was more difficult than I thought, but I learned many lessons in the process.

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  • The English Major

    Welcome to my blog!

    This was my senior project in college. It gives you an idea of what it was like for me to be an English major.

     

    What’s your major?

    English

    What can you do with that?

    Everything