Cabrini University is known for its community; from the various clubs and teams on campus to the whole of students in general, everyone is fairly tight-knit. As for me, I love the community I’ve found on campus. My friends have become more like family, and no small part of that is due to the English department. It sounds cheesy, I know, but the English department, specifically those in the writing concentration, has been my home away from home.
At the beginning of my college career, I wasn’t a Writing major at all. I was actually an Education major, at the primary level with a Special Education major added on at the beginning of the year. It wasn’t that the Education major wasn’t great—it is, believe me. My roommate and several of our friends are all Education majors. However, something about it wasn’t the right fit for me. I then transferred to the Theater department, which, again, was great, but did not quite fit me. This was all in my freshman year, too, so combine the haphazardness of a freshman year with constantly switching majors and get one majorly stressed out freshman without a place to really belong.
Cue my meeting with my advisor, who offered a new option: the writing major, an offshoot of the English department. I had written a lot in grade school and high school, mostly for fun, so it seemed like a perfect fit. Surprisingly, it was.
The writing major is a perfect place of belonging for me. The opportunities to write and grow continue to come from both my advisors and my fellow peers and I am now two years into the major. There are ups and downs, as there are with anything, but every milestone comes with prosperous growth on my part.
The writing major, for example, has a unique experience with Cabrini's Woodcrest magazine. Many of those (though not all) who submit to the magazine are part of the writing major, and it offers them a great opportunity for their work not only to be published but to be criticized and given feedback. They also get the chance to edit and help construct the magazine when they take the course to do so. The magazine often places in competitions, which can be very influential for people interested in writing and publishing later on in life.
Writing majors also often get unique opportunities, such as being invited to speak at various events. I, for example, was invited to speak at a gathering of students from several different colleges at the Media Arts Center. I was one of several students chosen to participate and was able to read my original work in front of a fairly large group of people, which was an incredible opportunity for me. There is also the SEPCHE conference that takes place every year, inviting students to display their work for faculty and peers from several schools (though more than just writing majors are invited to attend). These special experiences provided by Cabrini University are incredibly unique and have helped to shape my college career and my future career as a hopeful author.
Being a Writing major at Cabrini is an incredible experience. I've made many decisions throughout my life, but choosing to partake in this very special community has been the best one I’ve made yet.