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The Impact of English on Students

As students advance to their final year in high school, they are relieved of the requirement to take math and science. Only one subject is a requirement throughout all years in high school: English. Many students do not see the point in having to take English in order to apply to a University program, either because they are not taking a program that relates to English or because they are not interested in English and therefore should not be forced to take it. The important piece that these students might not understand is that English allows us to communicate, and communication is the most important part of any program they can ever take.
A pathway chart showing that communication is essential


Universities require their applicants to have taken Grade 12 University English because of one simple reason: communication is key. Whether you’re going into math, chemistry, biology, or engineering, you will be required to have the ability to communicate your ideas clearly with your professors and with other students. And not to mention, English in high school helps with developing and amplifying literacy skills. In my eyes, being literate does not only mean to know how to read and write, but also means to know how to express your ideas in a meaningful way that others will understand, as well as derive an implied or hidden meaning from not only text, but also from real world news and events.

But why do all (university) programs require a Grade 12 English course to be completed?


A computer scientist presenting information
Simply because they believe that essential skills in language and communication lead to a successful life. For example, take a computer scientist working for a major company. Computer science, which is in no way related to writing, still requires an immense amount of communication. Computer scientists always talk amongst themselves in order to present ideas and effective ways to improve the company. Without this essential communication, there is no way that we would have any of the digital media that we currently have, including our Blogs. Everything that was created digitally was made by thousands of computer scientists communicating and working together to build efficient and innovative programs. English courses help us to be able to communicate like these computer scientists which in turn grants the opportunity for success.


The hardest part about English, in my opinion, is to be able to understand the meaning of why we are forced to take it. Beyond Shakespeare and writing ten-page essays, there is a hidden element that we are being taught: how to communicate.  
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