Sudden freak out over university - should I study English or Philosophy?

Question

I always thought I'd study English: I love literature and analysing it, as well as writing (hopefully my future career!) However, recently I've realised in RS classes that I would love philosophy too. I'm really interested in finding out the truth about things...

Bearing in mind I've already applied to all my universities and got all my offers for English, what should I do? Stick with English or consider Philosophy?

'but your major in college does not make as much difference as one would expect' - I'm not just talking employment prospects, this feels pretty important in my life...

I think though, having got into York which is so competetive over English, I'll stick with English and probably join a philosophy society or take a course (or just take out philosophy books from the library and irritate all the philosophy majors!)

Answer 1

do a plumbing course, you'll be guaranteed a job, get paid a shed load of dosh for doing something useful, you'll be happier and you can still study for philosophy in your spare time. Then you really will be unique - a philosophical plumber or plumbing philosopher. You'd be on telly I reckon. :-) Oh and you'd get plenty of eng.lit in your philosophy classes anyway.

Answer 2

I'll be blunt: You have to ask yourself what you can do with either major. I'm afraid that the jobs out there for either one are sparse (less so for English majors).

What can you truly do with a Philosophy degree? Philosophize? The purpose of going to college is not to "learn," but to "learn what you need to know to get a job and live." I know that sounds a bit... mercenary, but it is true.

My step-brother majored in History. He's a clerk in a hospital because he didn't like teacher. Realistically, he could have done that without the better part of a decade of college.

Likewise, you don't need a degree in English to be a writer. I have a Bachelors and a Masters in Business, but I've been a tech writer for nearly 20 years. Of course I do business analysis as well, and actually use a fair amount of what I picked up in college. I started out as an Electrical Engineering major, which (along with an English teacher mother) helped me start a career telling people how things work (and how to fix them when they do not work).

I don't want to rain on your parade, but you should decide to find a college major that will provide you with a steady career. If you'd like to teach English or work for a publisher, then go there. As for Philosophy, there are plenty of waiters and cabbies with a BA in Philosophy (and $50,000 in student debt).

If your parents are going into debt to send you away to school, shouldn't you give them a little return on their investment? I have no problem with taking a Philosphy course as an elective, but not as a major.

Answer 3

Philosophy is useful for rationalizing your thought. If you take it as a major, you will be brain washed and lost yourself. My suggestion is to take science, technology or business and admin as major whereas philosophy should be minor. There was an old Chinese saying: you cannot read (understand) I Ching until 50 years old. Philosophy is very deep topic, you need to have lot of experience in your life before understanding some meaning. In fact, you can directly write your philosophy if you jump into social work. Nevertheless, those philosophy topic are interesting as you are growing. You should keep sometime in every week to read some philosophical books. Each sunday would be a good time.

Answer 4

You can always do electives in philosophy, especially at York (I'm there now.) I think you can do up to two electives per year (based on a 6-module year.)
Or you could change to the combined degree?
Or pick all the philosophy-related literature modules...

Don't change courses, it's just one big headache you can avoid without flapping round campus instead of enjoying freshers week! And the English dept at York is one of the best in the country anyway!

Answer 5

My advice is do not go with either English or Philosophy unless you go the PhD degree because you can not find job for those majors as a bachelor or as a master degree. If you do it is just $12/hour.

Choose a different major when you still have to to decide where to go. And more, do not listen to you high school ad visor about English or Philosophy. They will encourage you go with your dream. This dream sucks, and when you get older and support your own family, you can not get out of the poor life.

Answer 6

Either double major or consider a minor. Or, take a lot of elective philosophy courses that would count towards your major requirements.

And, not to sound cynical, but your major in college does not make as much difference as one would expect (other than whether or not you enjoy your college experience). As a general rule, employers look for candidates who have a bachelors degree to show that they had the intelligence, drive, etc. to complete a bachelors degree- regardless of what your major was.

Answer 7

Where's your universities?
Some universities do combine courses so you may end up doing both.
Both subjects require you to do crap loads of reading so the decision is tough.
If you are determined to be a writer or do something with English then I recommend you to stick to English.
But if things comes to worse, you can always change course at the beginning of the academic year (they give you up to 2 weeks' time to change anything you need before you settle in).

Good luck

Answer 8

i,d go for philosophy (it,ll give you time to think about if you,ve made the right choice lol)

Answer 9

Do em both, more strings to your bow.