Becoming an English Major

I grew up in a small town where most people went on to be farmers, teachers, or nurses, with a few exceptions popping up every now and then. It was common for people to come back to St. Marys or to never leave it at all. Admittedly, I didn't move very far from home when selecting my college, but one thing I did do was pick a very uncommon major. While English isn't a very strange major, my actual major, creative writing, is a lot more specific. This is where most people became perplexed. They would assume that I either want to be an English teacher or an author. It is either that or they believe I want to be homeless and live on welfare for the rest of my life. When I first told my high school guidance counselor that I wanted to major in creative writing, he was very confused. He didn't know that was a major that students could major in. I could tell right away that he didn't know what to think of my decision.

Creative writing was always something that I enjoyed. I always had an overactive imagination and I had always loved writing stories. However, not a lot of people talk about going to school to become a creative writer, especially not in St. Marys. They talk about the usual jobs people get. When I was a senior, I originally wanted to be an emergency room nurse. I had volunteered in a hospital and I had applied for the nursing program at Wright State University where I quickly got accepted. I had everything lined up for me to go to nursing school, but my mom encouraged me to apply to some other schools as well as a backup plan. I thought this was unnecessary but decided to do so anyway. I applied to Ohio Northern University and was going to apply to the nursing program when I saw that they had creative writing listed as a major. This caught my attention and made me reconsider my path. I spent several days researching the creative writing program at Ohio Northern University, looking over the requirements and the courses. I eventually decided to commit to this new major and applied to several different schools. Even though I had been accepted by Wright State and was accepted into their nursing program, I completely changed courses and went with a major that fit me way better than nursing would have. Ever since that day I have never once reconsidered my major. I think I am incredibly lucky to be on the path that I'm on now.