#(can you tell im an env sci major lmao)

[hawkepockets]

Hey idk if this is still the case but I recall you were/are double majoring in English and environmental science? As someone who is interested in doing the same I was wondering if there was any advice or thoughts or something you could share. Thanks in advance. Also sorry if that’s not the case and I’m thinking of the wrong person then feel free to ignore this lmao

hi! that WAS me omg im so surprised someone remembered?? yeah so, as a senior now i can tell u with confidence that english & envs is a really good combo! it allows u to have a good mix of lab work and conventional reading/writing assignments, and to take a p uniquely interdisciplinary mix of classes! my school’s envs program includes poli sci, econ, and anthropology alongside the biology, so with all of those + english i feel like i’m a jack of all trades and got a really wide education!! unfortunately i’m not going to be able to complete my environmental studies major, i had to downscale to a concentration (smaller than a major but more intensive than a minor), but that was because of the very specific class of 2022 problem of losing my sophomore spring/junior fall to covid lockdowns, and isn’t suggestive of the double major not being doable under more normal conditions imo.

my main caution for ppl looking at envs is that emotional burnout from climate grief is REAL and it comes on you FAST. i felt like i was doing fine for 2 years of coursework and then in the fall of my junior year i was taking a bio class on climate chance and a poli sci class on global environmental policy at the same time, and there was so much dissonance between the attitudes in each department and i just cracked and i was crying at the end of every single reading assignment… you really have to look out for yourself and be able to step back from the work when you get too emotional, even if it means your grades take a hit.

english is a pretty good way to offset that, though! not that english classes can’t deal with serious, emotionally charged subject matter—MOST of my english coursework has been related to postcolonial studies in fact—but the literary world is just generally less immediate and demanding than the world of climate science, so as cliche as it sounds, it lets you escape into books a little bit.

my caveat here would be, if english does not come easily to you, and you’re going to a school with a serious english program, the work is going to pile up really fast, so you may be better off with a second major that you feel confident in your ability to coast a little in, whether that’s a type of art or another academic subject that you’re used to breezing through. but if english is already that subject for you like it is for me, 100% go for it!! i just don’t recommend taking on two majors that are both challenging to you.

tldr, even with the climate & world health crises, i’ve had a really good college experience in these departments!

i hope this helps, & wish you all the best, whatever u choose!! (ㅅ´ ˘ `)♡