My issue is, why should I have to take three university classes (Eng 115 equivalent, Eng 251, and 252) that basically covered what my AP 12th grade English class covered?
I, personally, loved my Eng Lit major. It offered the large spectrum of subjects I wanted to study. I couldn't have done Comp Lit, because my ability to learn another language is small, and having my major depend on my ability to read and understand a piece of literature in another language would have been mortally frustrating. Yes, my major did not lead into a job in my field, but neither (to my knowledge) does Comp Lit, or Communications.
I'm not sure that more specific majors are the answer either. Some of the majors EUOL suggested, like Editing and Creative Writing, wouldn't really benefit from more dedicated classes, imo. Editing and Creative Writing largely break down into practice. Alot of practice. Industry experience (I use EUOL and stacer as my examples) is what got them where they are today. They were willing to put in time at stupid jobs that didn't pay them what they were worth in order to gain experience (in stacer's case) or in order to pay the bills while still giving them time to work on their craft (EUOL's case).
And I don't think that studying English is completely pointles. I have learned how to look at a work of fiction or film more critically which allows me to better appreciate the work of art. That ability to look at a written piece of information critically stands in good stead for law and business students, who will spend the rest of their lives relying on those skills. Not that an English major is the only place to learn those skills, but if you enjoy reading Shakespeare and Poe, then why not learn an important skill while enjoying yourself?