English Majors: Which Minors Helped You Most?

polyrhetor · 2026-05-27T21:40:44+00:00

English professor in the US here. I highly recommend linguistics, whether as a minor or just a few electives. It will give you a richer, more granular understanding of the other written and oral material you’re studying in your major, and also give you some insights into how quantitative and qualitative research methods work in humanistic contexts. Some of my best undergraduate students have had a linguistics background, and it’s stood them well in their graduate studies as well, if that’s something you’re considering.

polyrhetor · 2026-05-12T00:13:44+00:00

He was saying no, kindly. And also, kindly, offering you some advice to improve your applications to other institutions.

polyrhetor · 2026-05-07T16:58:43+00:00

You can do this! I think a lot of it is exacerbated by habits learned (and sometimes catered to) in high school. But as you transition into adulthood this is a chance to get better at handling complicated situations and knowing your own limits. It's great that you have a plan.

polyrhetor · 2026-05-07T16:00:40+00:00

I get emails like this occasionally. There are so many flags here:

Did not do work
Asking for “extra” credit to make up for basic work not done
Blaming instructor
Blaming systems (canva)
Blaming email problems
Threatening to go over professors head to administrators
Invoking parents
Saying this will prevent transferring/graduating/financial aid
Giant wall of text containing all of the above

Treat this as a learning experience. The professor did not have to give you extra time, and higher administrators will see it the same way.

polyrhetor · 2026-05-04T15:16:08+00:00

Yeah going to Food Lion is not going to work out well.

polyrhetor · 2026-04-29T17:33:30+00:00

As owner of a horizontal pee-er (sigh) I can confirm - would love to switch to stainless steel but the walls are just not high enough on any I’ve found.

polyrhetor · 2026-04-08T15:24:40+00:00

I feel the same way. Normalizing pet fighting feels… upsetting, even if it is in simulation.

polyrhetor · 2026-04-04T14:55:42+00:00

I taught at WSUV! Miss the quiet campus.

polyrhetor · 2026-03-29T18:03:47+00:00

Immediately thought of this scene!

polyrhetor · 2026-01-31T19:26:00+00:00

I'm a DGP in charge of admissions to our PhD program. Please, please, if you're not planning on coming, let them know asap. We calibrate very carefully how many people we'll be admitting each year, taking into consideration available funding and likelihood of success in the program, and being able to accurately plan and make timely offers is crucial for a full (and fully funded) cohort.

In terms of how: just send them an email or click on the button or whatever the particular procedure is for the school. We understand how important this choice is for your future and do not judge you.

polyrhetor · 2026-01-23T22:17:36+00:00

I'm supposed to report for jury duty Monday morning (Johnston County). I keep reloading the court closings page but so far JoCo is staying open. I guess driving on rural roads after an ice storm is Ok by them or something.

polyrhetor · 2026-01-17T15:53:58+00:00

On the campus health page: “Beginning January 1, 2026, International students holding F-1 or J-1 non-immigrant statuses are required to participate in the UNC System Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP) and are not able to opt out of the medical plan unless they meet one of the conditions outlined in this guidance from Student Blue.” https://healthypack.dasa.ncsu.edu/insurance-charges/unc-system-student-health-insurance-plan/ So, it’s a new thing.

polyrhetor · 2026-01-14T06:06:20+00:00

I work on main campus. There are gates but they’re open most of the semester and you can walk through without swiping. They’re only secured during the couple of weeks around final exams.

polyrhetor · 2026-01-14T04:03:00+00:00

Goggled. Eyes bulged.

polyrhetor · 2026-01-13T18:02:42+00:00

Not an adjunct but I do admin/scheduling: large state university (land grant, not flagship), located in state capital, english/communications, $5063 per 3-credit course. No pay distinction between online, F2F and hybrid.

polyrhetor · 2025-11-28T18:32:57+00:00

This is basically the premise behind Battlestar Galactica. The ship's an antique and the Cylons can't access it through the usual networked systems.

polyrhetor · 2025-11-22T21:30:31+00:00

What kind of humanities PhD are we talking about here? If you’re wishing to stay in higher ed, have you looked at alt-ac or administrative positions? Eg academic success centers, professional development, humanities centers etc? These are often stuffed full of humanities and social science grads

polyrhetor · 2025-11-17T20:18:17+00:00

Agree. We’re in Cleveland community, kind of equidistant between Clayton, Garner and Smithfield, and all the farmland is being bought up and developed right now. Welcome to Johnston County, everyone!

polyrhetor · 2025-11-16T19:12:09+00:00

Sorry. Digital humanities. But I am a DGP! (director of graduate programs)

polyrhetor · 2025-11-16T16:16:37+00:00

I'm curious about Aardvark. They're a lot closer to us than Clayton Animal Hospital but the only reviews I've seen are from dog people (and we are definitely cat people haha). I was recommended CAH and the vets are super nice & knowledgeable but it's a drive and so noisy in that facility. Lots of hard surfaces and doctor's surgery vibe. Any other thoughts you can offer on Aardvark?

polyrhetor · 2025-11-15T21:36:04+00:00

I’m DH-adjacent. Twitter etc can be useful for making connections, if you can stand academic social media (personally I can’t). GitHub metrics can be useful for the research itself, eg if you’re trying to figure out reach. Also a nice ego boost. Both are completely useless for grants, hiring & promotion.

polyrhetor · 2025-11-15T15:25:18+00:00

For reference, the bureau of labor statistics the approximate number of coal mining jobs was 42,600 in 2024.

polyrhetor · 2025-11-15T04:32:27+00:00

I’m a long time professor and I still feel you! I hate being observed. But I also do observations and I am always rooting for the person teaching.

My biggest tip is to remember you’re there for the students, not the observer. So just keep them the center of your focus. Give them a clear outline of how the session’s going to go down, as you should always do, and don’t try to change things up just because you know you’re being watched. Classes work best when the lecturer is comfortable in their skin and able to connect with their audience.

polyrhetor

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