Your essay must be five paragraphs. The thesis must be at the end of the introduction paragraph. It must be one sentence long, and you must list the exact literary devices the author uses that you will argue about. Each paragraph should be 3-5 sentences. Do not use first-person pronouns. Stick to the strictly academic. Stick to the familiar, the formulaic, the reasonable, the assured.

Don’t go above and beyond boundaries. Don’t use “I think” or “maybe,” but don’t speak with too much confidence. Don’t acknowledge what you don’t know.

If there’s one thing this class has taught me, it’s that you should know the rules front and back so you know when and how to properly break them. Writing isn’t formulaic. Even the stuffiest academic essay in existence is an act of self-expression.

I learned the formula and followed it well. It got me a 5 on the AP Literature and Composition Exam. But it didn’t teach me confidence in my writing. It didn’t make me a more creative writer. My best writing comes from when I don’t stress too much about staying within the lines, when I let my mind simply put words on the page. This class taught me the importance of voice. Your essays won’t be remembered for their one-page theses, but for their voice, how you communicated ideas.

I’m not saying you should write an essay with no thesis or paragraphs that are ten pages long. The Writing Center consultant in me would ache. But… don’t be too hard on yourself, okay? Write for you. Write what sounds like you. Be creative, explore, try things. Yes, essays should be professional, but if it isn’t you, then what’s the point?

I have always been privileged enough to have a family that supports me in everything I do. From ever since I could remember, my parents would always tell me to make sure that I love whatever I’m doing and if I don’t love it, it won’t be worth it. They never wanted me to become a doctor or nurse or scientist, they just wanted me to be happy in whatever job I have. I’m so lucky and grateful for that. But even though I have the free will to do whatever I please in regards to my occupation, I still care about what my family will think of my occupation. At times, I question whether or not being a humanities major is worth it.

There is this split second of doubt saying “Is this a good idea?” or “Are you going to be letting your family down if you do this?” This split second of doubt only comes up once in a while and I can push it out of my mind, but it always comes back.

I start to question if the lack of money I’ll make in the future will come back to bite me someday. But I just have to take a step back and remind myself of why I’m pursuing a humanities degree. Because I love it. I love the complexity of language and how it can compare to others. I want to help others see and learn that. 

I came into college not knowing what I wanted to do. I thought about Psychology and English and then I thought I wanted to be a music therapy major. This got very jumbled and was very overwhelming. I also loved French and knew I wanted to keep speaking it throughout my life. I had everything finally planned by the end of my Freshman year. I wanted to be an English and Education double major with a minor in French and Francophone Studies. Then just when I thought I had it all figured out, I realized that as much as I love English, French was just something I couldn’t pass up either. So now, I am a French and Education double major and an English minor. It’s the best of both worlds. While teaching French, I can compare it to the English language and find the similarities and differences in it. Both are complex languages, but are also similar.

If I wasn’t a humanities major, I don’t think I’d enjoy my career. STEM is just not my thing and I don’t fully enjoy those classes I have. Even if I made more money as an engineer or a doctor, I wouldn’t love it. I wouldn’t find joy in my career and it wouldn’t be worth it to me. I’m lucky that no one in my family pushed me to become a doctor, they are letting me figure out what I want to do and how to go about it. They’ve always wanted the best for me and the best for me is letting me do what I love.

I hope everyone can get the chance to figure out what they love, even if it isn’t their career.