<p>Hi. Does anyone know of any great English major schools? I want a diverse syllabus (i.e not just American or Brit Lit classes). I know every school offers English, esp. LAC's, but I'm looking for that 'special place.' So far I've found Barnard, which also has an honors program (i.e. you can take honors english). I also like the school but I'm not against uni's either (I would love to take Marketing and/or Design classes-not art). Thanks for any help! :)</p>
<p>English is a very, very broad subject area... are you interested in writing? Critique? Analysis? Obviously these are parts of any English major, but maybe choosing a specialization will help people answer your question.</p>
<p>I'm curious too, does anyone know of any strong writing schools?</p>
<p>Ooh, I'm sorry, I obviously should've been more specific. I am not at all interested in creative writing, that is not where my interests/talent/passion lies. I am going to take English Literature. But a lot of the syllabus' (plural?!) I've looked at for English majors say you have to take a ton of American and Brit Lit classes then very few World Lit/electives. I want my English Lit major to include the classics, world lit, the great books...regardless of who wrote them. So if anyone knows any great, broad English lit major on the East Coast...I'd be <em>very</em> grateful for any info. :)</p>
<p>An interesting program you should at least look into is St. Johns college. It has a great books program which would likely interest you. It's a very unique school which provides a classic liberal arts education, but is not for everyone. Essentially, any top LAC will work, and any top university. If you're asking for English programs that are generally strong, any top university will work. If you go to a school like Brown, you will have great choice in the courses you can take, but if you go to a school like Columbia, you will have less choice, but an equally strong program in the generally literary field. Chicago is a more structured school. Vassar has few requirements, and at there, like Brown, you could take whatever you want in addition to your major requirements. Some schools have English departments which don't support a more post-modern focus, such as Harvard, so if you find out the professors areas of scholarly expertise, you can have an idea of what will be supported. Princeton has famous authors such as Toni Morrison on its faculty.</p>
<p>Wow thanks DRab (funny name). I've actually been considering Brown so it's nice to know they have a lot of choice in what you can take as an English major. Of course, a lot of schools offer a ton of English classes but not all fulfill the major requirements. Tricky. I'm also definitely not Princeton/Harvard material. I wonder if Morrison teaches her own books?! haha</p>
<p>St John's does look interesting but I really am going to stay on the East Coast.</p>
<p>Is Annapolis, Maryland not East Coast enough? They have two campuses, Annapolis being the older one. Many of their students spend a year at the "other" campus, whichever that happens to be.</p>
<p>My name is a failure on my part. While it's the first letter of my first name and the first three of my last, as in D Rab, I didn't put in an underspace, so it's "drab" to most. 'Tis entirely my fault. </p>
<p>What're your stats? That would help determine what programs are best for you. Also, what type of environment do you want? Rural, suburban, near a large city? Northeast, southeast, east east? :) Really structured like st johns, or free as a bird at Vassar or Brown?</p>
<p>It seems like professors love to teach their own books. Often, being head of the field helps. :)</p>
<p>I thought it was a very clever name but you just made it sound like an accident, lol. :)
To be honest I think I could be happy in many places. I love the city the most (esp. NYC) but I'm well aware I'll be living in the city once I graduate. However, I don't drive and don't plan to so if I lived in the middle of absolute nowhere without being able to take a bus/plane to a city or airport I'd be in trouble. I'm not sure why some schools have core requirements and others don't, so I can't say which I'd prefer there. A school that lets someone in with awful math/science scores would be nice though. :) I also like nice, intelligent and passionate people. They don't have to be the brightest or anything, just people I can talk to and do fun things with (which don't include talking about celebs 24/7 or going drinking every weekend- I enjoy those too but I def. need more of the other stuff). I don't know if this helps, I'm still looking for my special school.</p>
<p>If you want some sort of strong alumi or alumnae network, going to a city in the general area of NYC will be helpful. I'm sure schools, even those far away, have some alumni presence in NYC. It's NYC, obviously. If you go to Vassar you can take a train to the city, or cabs. Each school has its limitation of getting to other places, particularly without cars. I don't have a car here, but i like it more than when i have it at home (something i don't have to worry about up here.) </p>
<p>Core requirements arise from different peopel having different educational philosophies. Basically, you have to think about yourself, and if you'd like absolute choice in what you would take, if you would mind and perhaps even enjoy some to almost no choice at all. If you do'nt have a preference, that's fine. Some people just don't mind either way. You can get a broad education either way, but in a more restrictive school, you are forced to. For some people, this is a joy and the only manner in which they would get a broad education. To others, it is a living nightmare. Having no preference is fine, but makes it more difficult to narrow down schools. <em>shrug</em></p>
<p>LACs seem to attract those more apt in the humanities and social sciences and less apt in math in science. It varies greatly of course, and many are strong students all around, and are usually not weak in these areas, but LAC students just tend to be stronger in the non mathematical and scientific area. My perception is the better the school, the more likely students will not want to solely drink and talk about celeberities. if you're talking about top LACs and univerisities, you probably do'n't need to worry.</p>
<p>Let's just say i subconsciously was quite aware of my cleverness.</p>
<p>Thanks again DRab. The more I think about it (I think fast, haha) I'd be totally fine with a school without core. Hello, no science! But...I'm guessing that LAC's would have many science/math options for people who aren't that great in them (rocks for jocks I guess). I mean, I'd be happy to take a nice biology course for my science requirement, esp. if I could take it pass/fail. So I guess I'm flexible but I would want there to be options for someone like me who needs these so-called easy science classes (trust me, rocks for jocks is hard for me).</p>
<p>But do you think a good LAC (Barnard etc.) or good uni (Brown etc.) would even consider someone who wasn't an all-round academic star? Why can't some people only be good at one subject/area?!</p>
<p>They do take people only good in one subject area. Apply, see what happens. maybe you'll get in, maybe not. Do your best, and you seem like you'll be happy wherever you go. </p>
<p>I took a physics class which many non-science majors take to fulfill their physics requirements. This class was amazing and I had a great time. I learned so much about physics, from the basics to quantum mechanics and relativity theory. You'll find something and be alright as long as you avoid MIT's core.</p>
<p>Where did you go to college, and did you major in English? I think as long as I find a good school with a diverse English syllabus I'll be ok. (And with professors who like getting involved.)</p>
<p>I go to UC Berkeley, and I"m a philosophy and rhetoric double major. The rhetoric major is a sort of continental philosophy, critical theory, post-modern perspective major, not classical rhetoric. I find English to be interesting and hope to take some classes in Berkeley's amazing English department</p>
<p>Yeh I've heard great things about Berkley. My sister lived there and loved everything she heard about the school. But cos of family and money I wouldn't go to (undergrad) school out there. If I got into a good lac/uni I'd love to take a philosophy class even though it would probably hurt my brain!</p>
<p>Sometimes English classes will greatly resemble philosophy classes, and sometimes philosophy classes will greatly resemble English classes. The analytic study of text is fundamental to each.</p>