<p>My son is considering applying to Tufts, Cornell, Amerherst, Georgetown for International Relations or Political Science as precursor to Law. He's taking AP European History & AP Microeconomics as Junior, but no sciences in Junior year. Does he need 3 years of High School Science to get into these schools? His university counsellor said that he would. Will schools not look at him if he does not have 3 yrs of science.</p>
<p>thanks</p>
<p>Don’t you need Bio, Chem. and Physics to graduate? I belieive if your S. has taken them (even in one year, if it is possible at his HS), he should be OK.</p>
<p>I have heard (nowhere else but on CC) that three years is a must and four years are advantegous if you are applying to very selective schools.</p>
<p>Your son will be competing and applying with other students who took 3 -4 years of science in hs. Taking only 2 years of science will affect the rigor status of your son’s schedule.</p>
<p>Cornell requires 3 years, don’t know about the others. Check the college websites. If a school says it ‘recommends’ something, treat it like it’s required.</p>
<p>Yes, D’s counselor said that the way to read “recommends” is to understand that it is shorthand for, “required, unless you’re a recruited athlete, or your high school doesn’t offer, or you have some other remarkable circumstance that prevented you from taking”</p>
<p>I can’t imagine less than 3 for those schools.</p>
<p>Georgetown, unlike most selective schools says “one year of science” except for student proposing to go into math and science. Tufts is quite vague about their academic wishes, but as far as I can tell says nothing about taking a certain number of years of anything. Many selective colleges will expect more science - Vassar for example expects four years of English, Math, Social Science AND Science. Only having two years of lab science could be a red flag at some schools, but there is the possibility that delving into his social science interests will balance that out at some schools on the list.</p>
<p>He’s going to have a difficult time getting into those schools without at least 3 years of science. I hope he’s taking 4 years of math as well as at least 3 years of a foreign language.</p>
<p>If he is willing to risk going with only two years of science he should absolutely make sure that one is a physical science and one is a life science. The Univ of Ca system requires at least one year of a life and 1 yr of a physical. So if a student just took Physics and Chem they would not be UC eligible.</p>
<p>Georgetown may indeed say that only “one year of science” is required (I haven’t checked), but I’d love to see the list of students they actually accepted with less than three years. My guess is that the number could be counted on one hand, and that handful are probably highly prized athletes. Even many third and fourth tier schools strongly recommend at least three years of science. In NYS 3 years of a lab science is required for an “Advanced Regents Diploma” which is shorthand for being college-ready for a 4-year school.</p>
<p>Colleges generally list minimum requirements and also typical requirements for admitted students. I’d say at least meet the typical.</p>
<p>I was really surprised to see that at the Georgetown site. It seemed very old fashioned.</p>
<p>My son does NOT go to a very competitive High School but to graduate from it he has to take four years of all the core subjects - Math, Science, Social Studies and English. If that’s the norm at an average High School, I would not understand why it’s not the expectation at the high end colleges.</p>
<p>^Because that’s not a requirement or necessarily even practical at many/most other “normal” high schools.</p>
<p>My son forced himself to take 4 years of all core subjects and 4 years of French (loved, French, so no forcing there) to have a good chance in selective admissions. He was admitted everywhere he applied.</p>
<p>miamidap- no you don’t. you need 3 years of lab science to graduate but it can be any lab science. i took biology, engineering, and environmental science.</p>
<p>anyways i think your kid would be better off taking 3 years. i just looked up some of those schools and it said at least 3 were required.</p>
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<p>Yeah it would be difficult to get admitted with only 2 years of any core class, most students usually take 4 years of a core class.</p>
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<p>The entire state of Texas has moved to the 4x4 graduation requirement: 4 years of math, science, social studies and english.
If us rednecks can manage, I don’t see how it’s not “even practical” at most normal high schools. Your school doesn’t offer 4 different classes in these subjects?<br>
(Disclaimer: if kids start on the high school credit track in middle school that counts as one or more of the 4 years.)</p>
<p>OP-Is your son applying as an international? If so, it is even more important he do what is recommended, science-wise.</p>