Do I need to Take Four Years of Science?Answered
Is four years of science in high school necessary to get into top schools? I have taken honors science for three years and would not be able to take an AP next year. My only options for honors science are physiology and environmental science, both of which sound boring to me. I intend to study social sciences in college. Would not taking a science hurt my chances at top schools?
Earn karma by helping others:
3 answers
It depends on the top school and intended major.
Harvard expects 4 years minimum. "Four years of science, including biology, chemistry, physics, and an advanced course". But it's fair to say that some have 5 or 6 years of science.
If you are a humanities major then 3 is fine however depending on the college you apply to you will have to take more science classes as part of a core curriculum. For example at Columbia, you have add'l science core classes.
You have the wrong idea about HS course rigor. If you are truly trying to get into a top college, whether a class is boring or not doesn't matter if your goal is to get accepted at a t25 school. Putting your best effort forward is more important that your feelings about a course.
Good luck.
Not taking four years of science will not make or break your chances as a humanities major. You will benefit in the admissions process by taking an extra science class, though not by a lot - think of the benefit as gaining a fraction of a point in the academics section of a score card. You would probably gain more points by earning a higher GPA in a class that you enjoy more than science, so it might be worth it to take one of those instead. As others have said, taking a "sciency" social science class may be the best option for you too. Hope this helps!
It would depend on the number of science classes that are mandatory to earn a diploma in your state. Since you've taken 3 sciences already (i'm assuming that your state requirements are 3 sciences) you should be fine. Not taking another science will only hurt your chances if you intend to study some type of science in college ( ex. some type of Biology, Chemistry, Life Sciences ect..) and you don't take the extra sciences if they are available to you.
Since you want to study social sciences in college, I would suggest taking classes that are specific to your area of interest. Also, if you already know your intended major, make sure to go to the college's websites and see what requirements they might have as pre-requisites, because you might just be able to knock out those classes in highschool.
Your chance of acceptance
Your chancing factors
Community Guidelines
To keep this community safe and supportive:
- Be kind and respectful!
- Keep posts relevant to college admissions and high school.
- Don’t ask “chance-me” questions. Use CollegeVine’s chancing instead!
I would definitely discuss this with your school counselor as the response can differ heavily. In addition, you must check both the requirements and recommendations for the specific schools you are applying to. Most will outline exactly what courses they expect you to have taken for your major/for general admission. Schools want to be 100% certain you are challenging yourself. If you do not take this science course, replace it with more social science-related courses to show your commitment!