I’m reading and writing a lot this semester. With my three English classes, I feel completely immersed in the worlds of Edmund Spenser’s “The Faerie Queene,” Samuel Richardson’s “Pamela” and Mel Chen’s “Chronic Illness, Slowness, and the Time of Writing.”
Sometimes it very well feels overwhelming – even the other English majors in my classes say that three English classes is a lot – but I like it. Immersing myself in literature and theoretical essays felt like a breath of fresh air after spending so much time with cognitive science papers over the years. I still love cognitive science but as a double major, it’s nice to have a brief break from eye-tracking studies and L1-L2 interactions.
Beyond the coursework, I’ve also really enjoyed getting to know more of Pomona College’s English community this semester. A couple of weeks ago, I went to an English department event put on by the department’s student liaisons. Sitting in the dimly lit Ena Thompson Reading Room in Crookshank Hall, we all chatted about the English major and more over T&Joy boba.
Over the course of the evening, in addition to meeting a lot of new faces, I caught up with a couple of friends who I had not talked to since our Asian American Literature and Queer and Cultural Critique class last semester. I even ran into a handful of peers from the Faerie Queene class.
Boba in hand, we laughed nervously about our upcoming paper due that Friday that many of us had not yet started. “I’m working on that paper immediately after this,” I said, cackling. “The caffeine from the boba will pull me through tonight.”
Even though I was stressed about my paper and I easily could have spent that hour in Ena Thompson drafting, I was glad I came to this event. Since I declared my double major in English only at the very end of last semester, I entered this year feeling a severe case of imposter syndrome.
Did I even really know how to close-read? What if three English classes were too much for me? What if all the other English majors had already established their friendships – would it be hard for me to make friends?
But sipping on boba with other English enthusiasts in the cozy space of Ena Thompson quickly allayed these fears and made me feel welcomed. It reminded me that it ultimately didn’t matter how late I declared the major – I could very much still be a part of this community.
After the event, I made a beeline to the library where I spent a few hours working on my paper. The caffeine from the boba indeed kept me awake and I walked back to my dorm feeling warm and fuzzy inside, thinking back on the Pomona English community that I had so sweetly conversed with that evening.
“Did I even really know how to close-read? What if three English classes were too much for me?”
I’ve been doing a lot of reflecting since the start of senior year – on friendship, on allowing myself to feel slumpy and stressed and sad – and now I have another reflection to add to the list.
As I think about my academic journey, I am grateful that I discovered cognitive science and wholeheartedly explored linguistics, language acquisition and bilingualism. That academic path has shown me what kind of career I want to pursue post-graduation.
However, I am also grateful that I have been able to nurture an appreciation for English that has been budding since high school. In my first two years of college, I only took an English class here and there. But last semester, I realized just how much I loved it – and I had space in my graduation requirements to love it in the form of an entire second major.
Now, as I am finishing half of the major in one year, I know I will have a lot of reading and essays in the future. I don’t mind though. I know it’s ultimately only for a little longer that I’ll be able to discuss epistolary novels, the function of “yet” in a stanza and how to “crip” the process of writing, all in the comfort of cozy Claremont.
The fact that we are already past the halfway mark of the semester serves as a potent reminder that, ultimately, our time here is short. So whether or not you are an English major, my simple advice to you is this: As you make your way through the fall semester and the rest of your time in Claremont at large, don’t be afraid to explore your interests, whether old or new.
Pick the brains of the brilliant people around you; read those books; write those papers. If you need a caffeine boost, T&Joy is only a short stroll away.
Emily Kim PO ’25 is from Irvine, California. She recently lost her voice after singing “Love on Top” in karaoke with friends but considers it worth it.
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