Hi! I’m relatively new to college confidential, so sorry if this is the wrong forum.
I used to be really interested in literature and English as a prospective major and I have a ton of extracurriculars related to writing, such as writing competition awards, journalism internships, creative writing summer camps, and school newspaper leadership.
I recently got really interested in finance and economics though and because English is a pretty difficult major to find a job, I’m considering maybe applying for finance and business instead. I still enjoy English, and I consider myself pretty good, but definitely not top notch gifted. Plus it was more of a 2 year high school phase and it’s just a bit less appealing to me now. I might end up minoring in English in the future though. Just not at the moment.
I’m kind of worried though because I don’t have any business extracurriculars. My school doesn’t have an FBLA or MUN club.
So I guess my question is: How much would my writing extracurriculars translate to applying as a business major?
Maybe assuming the rest of my application is on par.
Thanks for all the answers in advanced!
IMO, writing skills are a necessity for whatever field you go in. I’m personally looking into International MBA programs and I’m a double major in English and International Studies with a minor in French. It all depends on the amount of work you put in. If you look at law school, you’ll notice that every major can be applicable as long as you have strong critical thinking and problem solving skills. Reciprocally, in business school there is also a need for writing proficiency– though, in this case, it’s more technical and analytical than it is creative.
Rather than concern yourself over which major will get you a job, I’d focus on what you have a real passion for. If you were to try English at your university, would you be willing to apply yourself and work hard to appear marketable to future employers? The true mark of a writer is their ability to convince their reader that what they’re saying is of some importance. However, I know plenty of English majors who found the subject interesting in high school and realized that the university level is a lot more rigorous than expected. In the end, it’s whatever subject you find most suitable to your future job.
For me, I’ve always had a passion for English and decided to supplement my major with International Studies and French to give me more of an edge. I only recently started considering an MBA and much to my surprise, managed to land a lot of opportunities to prove that. Just like how it takes a lot of hours and outside work to improve your grade for a class, it takes the same amount of effort to earn yourself a job in the future.
As for your writing extracurriculars, emphasize the fact that they constructed your persuasion and analytical skills. Technical writing is a huge factor in business, so if you have any experience writing anything within that dimension (i.e. policy briefs, critical essays, etc.) then I’d put most of your effort into selling those to colleges.
bump? @InamoratiAnon thank you!