<p>Can someone explain UMass’s English major/program to me? I heard vaguely that you have to apply for it AFTER your freshman year, but I’m not really sure what that means… I got into Pre-English TAP, and today I got a letter that along with a few other “select TAP-accepted” applicants, I have been invited to join the UMass English Dept. Does this mean I bypassed having to apply after freshman year (if that is the system)?</p>
<p>At UMass, all students are accepted as Pre-English, which gives them priority for registering for English courses. When they take the intro major course, which is a literary criticism course, if they earn a B or better, their major is changed to English.</p>
<p>If you were invited to English TAP, it means they like your academic profile and want you to join a special residential program. It gets high reviews from students and is worth doing.</p>
<p>Yes, then what does this second letter - apparently sent to “an even more select pool than those who are invited into English TAP” - mean? What further benefits do I have if I choose to “join the English Department at the University of Massachusetts Amherst”?</p>
<p>Also: Is this invitation based solely on my accomplishments in English or my overall high school performance? I have a friend with identical grades/levels in English (and in my opinion, better writing skills) but not quite the class rank, and I’m wondering if she has a shot at this.</p>
<p>I can answer some of your questions. The TAP information is sent on the basis of GPA, rank, and SAT scores. TAP means you live with other Enlgish majors and have some of your classes taught in your dorm. The dorm is called Writing Butterfield, and all of the programming in the dorm relates to writing and creativity. It is a nice place to live.</p>
<p>As for English, the English major requirements are pretty much the same, no matter what school you go to … literary criticism, British lit, American lit, etc. What may be a bit different from school to school is other related programs available to English majors, or who the faculty are. UMass has a well known MFA in Creative Writing, so if you are interested in that aspect, the faculty and opportunities are there. They also have a Comparative Literature major, and some students change from English to COmparative Literature because it allows them to study literature within a broader context (not just American and British lit, but the lit of other countries or areas) or to add a creative writing component to their Comparative Lit major. That would be what is unique about doing English at UMass Amherst.</p>