English Honours and the Myth of Being a Perfect Reader

When I chose English Honours as my degree, I was honestly not a bookworm at all. In fact, reading books felt very boring to me, and somewhere, it still does sometimes. I always loved English as a language the way it sounds, the way people communicate through it, the confidence it gives but loving English never meant that I enjoyed sitting for hours and reading novels word by word.

I was someone who loved listening to stories more than actually reading thick books. The idea of novels interested me, but reading every page with complete focus was never my thing. Because of this, when I opted for English Honours, I constantly questioned myself: “How will I survive in this degree if I don’t even enjoy reading novels?”

And honestly, the people around me made this fear even stronger.

Whenever relatives, family friends, or even known people heard that I was pursuing English Honours, the first questions were always: “What kind of books do you read?” “Which novel genre is your favourite?” “Who is your favourite author?”

And my answers were always awkward because I genuinely did not have those “perfect literature student” answers.

I simply liked the language, not necessarily books.

Many people even told me directly that choosing this degree was a waste of money for someone like me. Some said: “If you don’t like reading novels, then how will you pass?” “You should just join a spoken English institute or coaching instead of doing a whole degree.” “This degree is for bookworms.”

Hearing these things repeatedly made me overthink my own decision. There were moments when I genuinely believed that maybe people were right. Maybe I had chosen the wrong field.

But despite all these thoughts, I continued.

And slowly, during my college journey, I realised something important: English Honours is not only about being a perfect reader or writer from the beginning. It is about learning, understanding, improving, and developing your perspective over time.

I started enjoying lectures, classroom discussions, faculty interactions, interpretations of stories, poetry explanations, and the way literature connects with society and real life. I realised that literature is not just about finishing novels; it is about understanding emotions, cultures, histories, human behaviour, and different perspectives.

Most importantly, I understood that reading and writing are skills, not fixed personalities.

Not every English Honours student enters college as a passionate novel reader carrying books everywhere. Some students simply love communication, language, expression, teaching, creativity, or analysis. And that is completely valid.

The biggest myth around English Honours is that you must already be a “bookworm” to belong there. But the truth is, this degree itself teaches you how to grow into the subject. Nobody starts as an expert.

In reality, many students silently struggle with the same fear: “What if I am not literary enough for this course?”

But education is not meant only for people who already know everything. A degree is supposed to help you learn.

Today, after surviving and completing my journey in English Honours, I can confidently say that you do not need to fit into society’s stereotype of a perfect reader to pursue this degree. You just need interest, patience, and willingness to learn.

And sometimes, standing out from the “bookworm” stereotype is completely okay.