You were in a room of English majors, so it wasn't hard to guess what would be your best subject. You were amused to hear the reasons. Everyone loathed bad grammar. You learned an idea or two. You were fortunate to have instructors who taught well. But the other ideas surprised you.
You won't consider English as the subject that would cause less stress. Perhaps this would be the feeling when it wasn't an imperative to read the poems of Ezra Pound and novels of Joseph Conrad. Your coursemate liked the challenge of thinking about the books you read. You swore another raised her eyebrow, and you could agree in silence. It was your first year in the university, and you were told that the most challenging part of the term was yet to come. As for creativity, some might not have decided their true calling at this stage.
Your professor mentioned the Nation's Report Card, where it was revealed that history was the least favourite subject of students. This should be a cause of concern for a number of reasons. First, more and more people believed that Americans were becoming more superficial. To think that American society undergone a transition several decades ago. Second, there should be a TV program that would make history fun to learn. (Someone in the room mentioned "Newton's Apple". No one had a clue until you asked your father later that night. It turned out to be a popular educational show on science.) Last but not the least, Americans must be encouraged to travel the world. The last one rather seemed hard to do due to the 9/11 aftermath.
The state of education in your part of the world
You looked at the Nation's Report Card with little interest. You were a student of Hull, where the continent would be on the other side of the channel. You've crossed it, and you enjoyed your weekend in Rotterdam. History won't be an issue, as landmark was a ubiquitous sight. As a matter of fact, your housemates argued about the exact number of old castles in England. (You feigned interest, as you thought about your plans for next weekend. And there was another party to attend.) English would be a no issue.
Authorship was your first career option, which was the reason why you applied for a place in the English Department. You were worried when your admissions tutor hesitated on giving you an unconditional offer, only to be saved by your enthusiasm in literature. (It showed in your admissions essay. It was about "Treasure Island", your favourite novel.) The English language turned out to be a challenging subject, but you anticipated it. After all, your writing style would still need improvement. And you tried your darn best to learn a new word everyday. You hoped to use it in your succeeding papers, but procrastination might make you forget it.
But you enjoyed reading novels. You have an eclectic preference. And you were once a heavy reader. English literature would be your best subject.
