For the seven or so undergraduate students, it's a sign you've taken an obvious initiative in your education by reading this blog. If you're glancing this outside of a lecture class- where its mustard yellow color looks ugly and scholarly enough to be a website relating the professor's discussion- you're probably a nerd.
There's nothing wrong with that of course, but being an English nerd for its own sake is such a waste.
You're a member of Generation Y I'll assume. It's your duty to feel a sense of entitlement for things you may have earned in only the loosest sense of the word.
What better way to cruse through life than by scaling the ivory towers so oft decried by the blue collars. You did go to college to escape the misery of your parents and grandparents right? Hell, by being an English major you've essentially thrown the bird to every other major on campus.
Nursing? Psht, keep the bed pans and nonstop whining to yourself. Communication Arts? As if. You prefer to actually create something rather than regurgitate the same tried scripts and camera angles. Math? I'll bet those theoretical equations come in real useful when figuring out just how much you stand to loose in this economy.
I would insult the Computer Science majors here too, but I fear what my world would be like without my spellchecker. They escape a beating... this time.
You, the English major, see that whole physical labor or 9-5 world and proclaim your decision with one simple word:
"Nah."
With this in mind, there's no better way to assist your journey through the world of academia than by buddying up with a professor.
I'm not talking a buddy cop movie whereby they yell at you on how much a loose cannon you are, but in terms of developing your skill set and honing on what subdivision of English you wish to pursue while studying here they become an invaluable asset.
Those four years go by fast, it's best to make them count.
Check with a professor whose class you enjoy on what other sorts of projects you can get involved in. While actually writing
is kryptonite for many English majors, becoming involved with academic conferences, working with a newspaper, or seeing what sorts of odd jobs you could pick up are only a few of the ways you can pad out that resume.
Trust me, you need that padding.
If you're looking for a few ideas on how to get some delicious fluff on your resume, look into the following. Keep in mind most of these programs are ones I've been personally involved in, but they're pretty universal.
The Western MA Undergraduate Shakespeare Conference- We all have to write about the possibly bisexual/nonexistent/cyborg bard they call William Shakespeare, so why not put your papers on him to work? Each year a conference hosted by region colleges provide undergrads a chance to present their papers, usually with a different theme. Ask Dr. Lisa Gim for more information.
Route 2- It's the literary publication of the school. Perhaps Dr. Ian Willams told you about submitting in a soft plea after a silent tear rolled down his cheek. In short, it takes your poems and short stories and publishes you in a booklet bound by (possibly) real horse glue. There's nothing to loose here, so send some submissions in. Just remember to give your submissions the once over before handing them in, the editorial staff doesn't consider inserting a semicolon into words as creativity.
The Point- Dr. Doris Schmidt's proverbial four-year phoenix. The Point continues to go dormant, flare back up, and become dormant once more. There's no reason now for it to be trapped in such a cycle however. Currently working on the paper is offered as a class and offers a starting point in the Adobe InDesign software. In the real world of writing and publishing, this is the definitive software to learn. Earning a few credits to pick up a useful skill would seem like a decent deal to me. With most of the Point staff graduating soon too, there's ample opportunity to leave your mark on the next chapter of the little paper that could. There's also conferences to New York to network with other student papers.
These conferences are also great to feel an overwhelming feeling of depression consume you when you realize their papers are granted 40k by the school every year. Shoutout to that school rep I talked to from northern NY: I hate you.
Sigma Tau Delta Annual Conference- This is, in this writer's humble opinion, the big kahuna of conferences. For the past few years students of FSC have flown out to hotspots (and by that I mean the cities in American with nothing else going for them) to present their school papers and creative pieces to a group of experts and their peers. Check with the Sigma Tau Delta at their by weekly meetings or with Dr. Aruna Krishnamurthy.
By now I've probably killed at least 10, maybe 20 if you're slow, minutes of your lecture. Tootles till next time.
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