<p>I had this on the Middlebury forum:</p>
<p>On a sidenote, I'm bad at reading. I have trouble concentrating, and I only got a 640 on the SAT CR. My vocabulary is LARGE, so that isn't my quandary. I'm able to discuss a book that I haven't read though, which I doubt I can do in college, but I tend to think quick on my feet. I LOVE to write, but again my trouble is reading. Is English a good major for me?</p>
<p>English composition, probably.</p>
<p>I'm a bit like you, actually. I'm not the best at reading (though I got a 710 first try), but I love to read. I'm more of a writer -- always have been and probably always will be. I decided against English as my intended major because I found that it's much more reading-based (a lot of old English stuff, middle English, modern, etc.), though some universities have English composition as a concentration.</p>
<p>Oh well, I've decided on linguistics anyway. :D</p>
<p>I was looking towards linguistics also. I've also considered anthropology since I like the cultural aspect. I'm having a tough time deciding my major, even though I don't need it now. Do you think there is a way to ameliorate this dilemma, like read over the summer? I know this sounds bad, but I'm very good at rapid rebuttals and making up good BS covered with ostensibly large words (sorry, but I don't know how else to say it). </p>
<p>Side note: I got into Carleton and Middlebury, so I'm liberal arts based.</p>
<p>Ah, hm. I'd considered anthropology, too, but since my passion is language, I thought I could just take some anthro classes to sate that curiosity.</p>
<p>I'd say, look into the English programs at Carleton and Middlebury and see what the reqs are and the other courses offered. Do you like reading, even though you might not be good at dissecting texts? No matter where you go, reading's going to be a big part of the English major, but some allow you to go more in a composition direction (which is where I would go, obviously). And what do you mean by 'read over the summer'? Read for enjoyment, or for dissecting texts?</p>
<p>If you don't like reading in general, then English is probably NOT a major for you. What other majors are you considering?</p>
<p>I notice that neither Carleton nor Middlebury offer linguistics or anthropology as majors (according to collegeboard.com, that is).</p>
<p>As someone who also loves writing but not necessarily reading, I can tell you that an English major probably won't be good for you. I've taken 3 English courses in college and they all required significant amounts of reading (and being able to retain what you read). At one point last semester, I fell two entire books behind the rest of the class so those in-class discussions were quite painful for me.</p>