缅北重口

Why Study English and Literary Studies?

Choosing a major means thinking about today and thinking about the future. For today: what do I want to know more about? Which courses will I do well in? For the future: what kinds of GPA will I have when I graduate? What kind of career will I want in four years? Students pursuing English and Literary Studies discover a field that richly engages them in the today and prepares them for a variety of careers tomorrow.
Verlyn Klinkenborg, an editor at the , recently noted how 鈥淔ormer English majors turn up almost anywhere, in almost any career, and they nearly always bring with them a rich sense of the possibilities of language, literary and otherwise.鈥� A recent article describes a handful of surprising former English, Literature, and Liberal Arts majors who have gone on to be CEOs, high ranking Government Officials, and even media moguls. Journalists Helen Thomas, Diane Sawyer, and Bob Woodward were all English majors. Directors Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorcese and James Cameron all studied Literature. Actors, comedians, and other creative people like Conan O鈥橞rien, Matt Damon, or Gweneth Paltrow also majored in Literature, as did the first American woman in space, physicist Sally Ride. So did former NY Governor Mario Cuomo. Before earning his Nobel prize in medicine Harold Varmus was an English major. The same is true of two former CEOs: Anne Mulcahy (Xerox) and Andrea Jung (Avon). A literature degree offers invaluable skills in writing and research as well as unique insights into human history, culture, and psychology. No wonder it is considered excellent preparation for fields from finance to law.
A recent conducted on behalf of the Association of American Colleges
and Universities (AACU) found that most employers value employees with skills that a literature degree can give them. 鈥淣early all those surveyed (93%) agree, 鈥榓 candidate鈥檚 demonstrated capacity to think critically, communicate clearly, and solve complex problems is more important than their undergraduate major.鈥欌�� A literature degree offers all of these skills.

• Ramapo鈥檚 literature and liberal arts degrees also offer the flexibility the 21^st century demands. Liberal arts degrees are simply more versatile than most other degrees. The same survey found that most employers value employees with a liberal arts education:
  • 鈥渨hen presented with a description of liberal education鈥�, fully 94% of employers say it is important for today鈥檚 colleges to provide this type of education, including half (51%) who say it is very important to do so.鈥�

缅北重口 offers all of the benefits of a liberal arts education (period).
For more information on the versatility and value of Literature and liberal arts at Ramapo read the articles below.

1. lists many well-known and influential people who lead very rewarding careers. Journalist Carolyn Cutrone aptly remarks that they are 鈥減eople who prove that success is about the person, not the major.鈥�
2. is a survey that lists what attributes employers look for in college graduates. 鈥淚t also reports on changes in educational and assessment practices that employers recommend.鈥�
3. found that 鈥渋t matters not at all where they got their degrees but rather what they did with their time in the colleges they did attend. It matters what kind of person they are, how persistent they are, how hard they work, how creative they are, and how they present themselves.鈥�
4. 鈥淪imply put, liberal arts majors can fare better in graduate business school admissions than finance majors do.鈥�
5. highlights Tim Lemire鈥檚 new book, I鈥檓 an English Major鈥擭ow What? 鈥淭he three big myths Lemire tries to dispel are that English majors鈥� career options are severely limited, that they will never make good money and that they will never find work outside academia.鈥�
6. lists eight careers that aren鈥檛 education related. The author remarks, 鈥淪o, from personal experience, I think an English major can pursue any career path he/she wants to pursue.鈥�
7. also lists careers that graduates with an English degree can have.
   8. explains why English majors often succeed in law school. 鈥淎ccording to the Law School Admission Council (LSAC), 鈥楲aw schools want students who can think critically and write well and who have some understanding of the forces that have shaped the human experience.鈥欌�� Literature can instill those skills.
8. contends that 鈥渢he people who will succeed in more expensive labor markets like the U.S. will be those who can think creatively and generate the IDEAS that will propel economic growth. Such skills are best fostered in a traditional liberal arts environment.鈥�
9. contends that liberal arts colleges offer as much 鈥攊f not more鈥攓uality as Ivy league schools. Liberal arts schools are student focused, they have small classes, they give great grad school preparation, and employers value liberal arts.
10. cites a study asking why college professors鈥� children often attend liberal arts schools. 鈥淭hese insiders understand that liberal arts colleges focus exclusively on educating undergraduates and offer a boutique education with small classes and personal attention from professors.鈥�
11. argues that most university students don鈥檛 grow that much academically in college. However, 鈥渟tudents who majored in one of the did experience 鈥榮ignificantly higher gains in critical thinking, complex reasoning, and writing skills over time than students in other fields of study.鈥� Students who majored in business, education, social work, and communications showed the tiniest gains.鈥�
12. Verlyn Klinkenborg, an editor at the , recently noted how 鈥楩ormer English majors turn up almost anywhere, in almost any career, and they nearly always bring with them a rich sense of the possibilities of language, literary and otherwise.鈥�
13. The Wall Street Journal鈥檚 Nikki Waller explains the value of a liberal arts degree (Literature in particular) in

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