<p>“if you want to major in English there are not as many opportunities to win awards”</p>
<p>Strongly disagree. The OP does seem to be a hopeful science major, but there are an enormous number of essay, short story, and poetry contests. I was fortunate to have a very strong English department at my school and teachers told us about several writing contests each month. Doing drama, forensics (the public speaking kind), and journalism would also help a lot.</p>