<p>How often are you writing papers for your courses? Is there pretty much always a paper, in some class, due soon?</p>
<p>In my experience, yes. Most likely you’ll have one 4-5 page paper and an 8-12 page final paper due each quarter, plus 1-2 page response papers due. Depending on the professor, you may have to do one response paper a week, or you may have to do some # each quarter, but I’ve never had to do more than one response paper a week for an English class. </p>
<p>I love to write, so I’ve found this manageable. But if you don’t like writing, you may want to reconsider an English major. You can, of course, take classes in English while majoring in a different subject. Or you may want to come to UChicago with an open mind (and no specific major planned), start on your Core, and take an English class during the spring of your first year. See if you like it, then go from there.</p>
<p>Also important to note: You can spread out your major requirements very effectively, and take only 1 or 2 English requirements each quarter. This will lesson your writing burden, and will allow you to pursue a minor or another area of interest. English is a really nice program that has a lot of flexibility and a huge selection of courses, so there’s always an interesting course to take.</p>
<p>Thanks for the great reply. That’s excellent! I’m really depressed by the English workload of my current university (I write maybe 3-4 short papers across an entire 18-unit semester). </p>
<p>The thing about the minor is really nice too. How difficult is it to double major in something like English/Chinese or English/Psychology? Is it still feasible to graduate in four years?</p>
<p>During my first year, I wrote a total of 16 essays averaging 5 to 6 pages in length, not counting my weekly response papers for Sosc (30 of those total, averaging 1/2 to a page in length). (The 16 essays were for a combination of Hum, Sosc, and English classes). </p>
<p>As I get farther into the major, the number of papers I write decreases but the length of each increases. It is common for English classes to require at least an 8-10 pager in the middle of the quarter and a 10-15 pager at the end. Last quarter I wrote two 10-pagers for one English class and a 22-page final paper for another.</p>
<p>It’s not as scary as it sounds, I promise. It is certainly a lot of work, but I get a lot of practice.</p>
<p>LongDarkRoad: Were you taking Hum and Sosc at the same time? I took Hum first year and Sosc second, which is probably why my writing workload was more spread out than yours. </p>
<p>I’m a fourth year and have completed the requirements necessary for me to graduate, so you can definitely take English courses that aren’t entirely bogged down with paper writing. But, judging on LDR’s response above, I’d caution that workload likely varies from person to person, depending on the courses you take. </p>
<p>And although the English department doesn’t require students to write a thesis paper, it is necessary to graduate with honors in your major. This would require a considerable amount of writing. </p>
<p>Augustus 1: To answer your question, it is definitely manageable to double major or major and minor. This works best, of course, when the two subjects are similar, or when there’s an overlap in elective credits. This may be much more difficult as a transfer student, based wholly on whether or not your credits transfer. That’s something you’d have to work out with an admissions counselor and your academic adviser.</p>
<p>Excellent! Do the professors, at least based on your experiences, give reasonable time frames for the completion of essays?</p>
<p>I’m not an English major, but generally, I’d say that most professors here give students enough time to complete their essays. If not (or if you have too much stuff going on at the same time, which happens rather frequently if you take too many writing-intensive classes during one quarter), then you can simply ask for an extension, which, from my experience at least, most professors grant as long as you don’t email them the day before the paper is due.</p>