Yes, I am an English Major. I’ve loved reading since I was little, and I’ve devoured thousands of pages of words from a variety of genres in my life, all of which have influenced the kind of person I’ve become today. Yes, I study English because I like reading and writing. I don’t mind essays. I don’t mind reading an entire book in one sitting.
But outside of class I don’t read much for pleasure.
Why?
Because I simply don’t have time anymore.
When I was in high school, I could read three books in a week while dividing my time between assignments and exams. But now, while I’m in college, I’m stuck in a completely different situation.
I no longer just read for my English courses. I read for my biology course, for my sociology course, and all the other courses I take.
I no longer read the things I absolutely want to read. I read what I need to read.
Instead of buying a nice New Adult novel at the bookstore, I spend hours jotting down notes on classics like “Wuthering Heights” or trying to understand Milton’s “Paradise Lost.” I now read to learn – more than ever before.
Yes, you learn from everything you read. But there are very specific techniques and rules I learn from the works assigned to me that are different from anything I would pick up outside of class, and it’s imperative that I spend my time in the right place.
I can’t concentrate on books that don’t directly affect my academic career. I need to focus on the pieces that will get me the degree I want.
I still like to read. I always will. Otherwise I wouldn’t be an English major. I wouldn’t spend my days analyzing texts and writing essays if I didn’t love it.
The sad reality is that my life is too chaotic right now to juggle reading for pleasure and reading for college. I have to make a choice.
And I’m making the choice that will one day allow me to get a job that will allow me to spend my evenings reading the books I want to read.