Snobbery keeping from studying English lit at Uni

What would you consider to be the 'harder' subjects, law? sciences? Getting into Durham for English is certainly no easy feat.

Do you take English Lit? Do you feel you have a better aptitude and talent for English rather than law? The ideal is choosing the subject you have most passion for, and the best skill for- anything else (imo) shouldn't really matter. Becoming a dazzling, well read English Academic trumps you're average joe solicitor, but then becoming an influential human rights lawyer beats an english degree only chosen to be 'easy'. It just depends who you see yourself becoming, that would must fulfil your potential.

Snobbery is everywhere if we're to be completely honest.
Study English people may say it's easy.
Study Law people may say it's just a memory test.
Study Biology people may say it's the easy science.
Study Languages people may ask you if you're looking forward to being unemployed.
(All silly, obviously)

The key to "coping" with the snobbery is being really passionate about what you're pursuing. No matter, what your peers say (and it is often just people your age that will think like this) if you work hard, go to a good university, enjoy your time there and continue to work hard, it won't really matter.

You can still do a conversion and you can still actively pursue law whilst doing English Literature through the vacation schemes, volunteering etc. If you're lucky you may get sponsorship to do the GDL conversion course - it's not uncommon - and it's only an extra year that you'd have to fund if you didn't get sponsorship - only one less than you'd need anyway, as even the law degree requires topping up with the LPC or the BPTC.

You could always get a job to save for the GDL in the meantime as an act of good faith to show your parents you are serious about your professional future if that's what it takes. But you're far more likely to do well at a subject you love than one that you don't or are still uncertain about.

It may even be an option to do a joint degree with law as a major. Have a look at Liverpool for Law.

*Note to mods. I want to stay anon and also respond in anon, so if this post is moved(because it may be in the wrong section) please keep it so that I can respond in anon.

I am currently still studying A-levels and have discovered my passion for literature is a huge one, it's the subject I enjoy most in school and have no problem with doing extra work without feeling like I'm doing extra. But I have never planned to do it at University, it has always just been a hobby....

I have planned to study a "harder" degree at Uni as I feel my parents would appreciate it and I would feel like I achieved more, English Lit has been regarded as "easy" by many, I have friends who are applying for that exact reason, which puts me extremely puts me off. I can't help but feel like I'm failing myself although it seems to be something that I love so deeply when I'm alone in my room.
Since I am over-analytical person, I have got my reasons pros and cons.

Pro:
I will be doing what I love.
I will meet people who are like me.
I will have a great 3 years of my life.
Likelihood of finding a career I'm passionate about, rather than leading an unfulfilled life after uni after doing my harder degree.

cons:
Miss out on doing something I love.
Feel like I have achieved more, through hard work and no passion.

I really want do it, I can't help but feel studying English lit at a place like Durham would be still a very respectable thing to do. I know I sound awful but these are just the thoughts in my head, if anyone could give me some advice I would appreciate it.

Dont listen to the snobbery, its completely ridiculous. People who say an English degree is too easy have never done an English degree themselves. English is a traditional academic subject and is well respected, if its your passion YOU SHOULD DO IT. There is no point doing a 'harder' degree that you dont want to do just because some people think its 'harder'. You will hate it and will have no motivation to do it so you will fail it or will just drop out. You can do anyting you want with an English degree, especially if you go to a good uni like Durham. An English degree from Durham would be highly regarded by employers and anybody who says English is easy at a good uni is insane. Dont listen to them. According to TSR, anybody who doesnt do Medicine or Engineering will be unemployed for the rest of their lives, since clearly, there are no other occupations in the world outside being a doctor or an engineer...

Do what you love, there is no point going to uni to dpo something you are not interested in.

Without being snobby myself, I have noticed people who do pick English because it's "easy" tend to apply to Unis outside the top 20 so perhaps their "I don't care" attitude is far bigger in those Uni's than places like Durham. I know I would feel like i have achieved something by gaining a degree from Durham, it's not exactly an easy thing to do.

I have come to the point where I actually don't care what people think, I can see myself loving it, meeting people who love it as much as I do, that's all that matters. I know I will work hard and I can see me devouring the library every night. At the end of the day I leave uni being more educated, becoming an educated woman which above all is my biggest desire that I want to fulfil.

I'm telling you know, don't do a course just because some people view it as 'harder.'
I did this. In my first year at university, I did Radiography and I knew going into this degree that in the back of my mind I'd rather have been going to do English. For the most part, it was down to society/family perceptions/pressures of 'what's the point of doing an English degree?' There was often the argument of 'There's no point of doing an English degree unless you want to be a teacher' - a profession that I know I don't particularly want to pursue. I did it thinking that English could 'just be a hobby.'

However - I hated my first year of university because I realised pretty early on I didn't really want to spend the next forty-something years of my working life stuck in a hospital. I just wasn't for me.
So I quit after a year. Luckily, my university allowed me to transfer onto an English course and I'll be starting my second of that course in September. And let me tell you - it was totally worth making the switch and was the best thing I've ever done and I honestly wish I'd done it from the beginning.

So my advice to you - forget about what society thinks and do what makes you happy. At the end of the day, you're the one who is living your life, not the rest of society. You're the one who has to do the degree and make a career at the end of it, so you may as well do a subject you love and end up in a career you love.

In fifty years time, when you're retired, and reflecting on your life, do you really want to sit there and think, 'I hated my career because I did a course that was deemed harder by society' and 'I wish I had done what I love?'

I feel like that would be me, stuck in a job that I don't want to be in using books for escapism....

I am glad you made the switch, I am going to do what I love. Literature makes me very happy, so does history, I think I may combine my degree, it makes me far happier than a degree in Law. When I think about doing Law I don't even feel like I want to go to University, it makes me feel awful but I know at the end of the day my parents can say "My daughter is studying law" which tbh doesn't make me feel any better...atleast even if I go down then English path I still have the option to go into law if I want to (which I doubt highly).

Thankyou for sharing your story, may I ask what you plan to do with your English degree, I would really love to go into further study perhaps even become an English professor, that would make me very happy even though I know that is very hard path to do down....

Well, if the idea of a Law degree makes you want to not go to university, then you're definitely making the right choice by doing Literature.
And trust me, I know exactly how you feel. I felt like my parents were happy they could say I was doing an Allied Health Profession and doing something they could be proud of. For ages I felt like changing to English was a cop out, especially one of my siblings is a Dentist, and the other is doing Engineering, hence why it took me a year to actually pluck up the courage to change.

But as you say, you still have to option of doing a Law conversion after you're English degree, should you so wish. There are plenty options available to us English graduates!

As for what I'll do when I'm finished with my degree..... Well, I'm honestly not entirely decided yet! I like the idea of going into Publishing so I'm toying around with that possibility at the moment.

Well you have tons of time to decide, good luck, I hope have a great time starting from september, I'm sure you will . I understand why that must have been difficult for you to decide being in the position you are in, I completely get where you are coming from. How do your parents and siblings feel now? I feel like if your passionate enough about it you will be able to defend your decision. At the end of the day when I think about English or History, I think about all these great humans that have lived and I have the privilege of studying their work, I think that's pretty amazing

Also the whole do English if your going to go into teaching thing bothers me, teaching isn't something I want to do, or see myself doing, I am sure there is more you can do with an English degree than just teaching a bunch of children....