<p>Or is it okay if you have a schedule that's more specifically geared towards either the humanities or math/sciences? I'm currently a junior and all of AP classes I have taken/am currently taking are humanities-related: US Gov&Politics, US History, and I'm currently taking Psych, Lang, and World History. I've gotten 5's on both Government and History, and throughout these 3 years I've maintained A's in all my humanities classes. I've always taken honors science classes and gotten A's as well, but all of my friends are currently challenging themselves with AP Bio&etc and I'm just taking honors chemistry. Math is my weakest, as it's the only class I've ever been in on-level in, but I've gotten A's and never below a B in it. Next year, senior year I plan on taking Lit, Comparative Gov, and I'm debating between Econ or Art History. Science will probably be Honors molecular biology, and math is whatever's after precalc I guess. I know that no matter what college I end up going to, I won't be entering the math/sciences field; it just doesn't interest me as much as humanities. But at the same time, I'm scared that colleges look for well-rounded students and I'm obviously lacking in the math and sciences. Or do they also like students who excel in a particular area? Should I take an AP science next year to balance my classes, even though I have no interest in it? </p>
<p>TL;DR: Do colleges (esp. Ivy League) frown upon students who takes classes that emphasize a particular area of interest (ie humanities) and favor more well-rounded students (humanities/math/sciences, or are they okay with both?</p>
<p>***this is my first ever post, so I apologize if it's too long!</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>I don’t think that a college wants to see you take an AP class in a subject that you don’t have a passion for; however, depending on what colleges you do have on your list, you need to meet the course requirements that they suggest. Meaning, as you specifically mentioned Ivy League colleges – they expect you to have four continuous years of the 5 primary subjects - math, science, english, social studies and foreign language. I think you are fine.</p>
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<p>After precalculus comes calculus (though some high schools offer, and some students take, statistics). If you are able to take calculus in high school, you are ahead of the normal math level in the US; the normal math level in the US is precalculus as a high school senior.</p>
<p>Ivies don’t “frown” on kids with, say, an emphasis on humanities. But they still ask for 3 years of lab science and X years of math. (Check what the colleges say.) The issue is that any school with single digit admit rates will have plenty of applicants who did go for rigorous academic balance (at least in part) and the right measure of activities and responsibilities. That’s what you’re up against. You need to learn more about these schools and see where you might stand in holistic terms. Right now you haven’t told us more.</p>
<p>First, the adcom would see if you have fulfilled their course requirement. Second, it is usually better to have the 4 cores covered in all 4 years. Third, you need to demonstrate a decent rigor in your curriculum. With all these in mind, you can take as many science or humanity courses you want.</p>
<p>I plan on taking the core classes for all 4 years; my main concern is just that the math and science classes I take may seem weak compared to the amount of AP humanities classes. I’m not taking easy math/sciences but I’m also not going out of my way to challenge myself, like I do with my English/history classes.</p>
<p>Not all humanities kids take all AP math-sci. But I hope you understand that among the competition will be those who do and others who take at least one. How your app looks will depend on what else you did besides take so many humanities classes and meet your high school’s math-sci plan, with whatever stats. (Most will also be darned close to 4.0uw.) You’re a new poster so we know very little about your story. The review will be holistic, which means academics and activities, your responsibilities and impact, various ways you test yourself. </p>
<p>As long as you are taking math/science courses, it does not matter whether they are at the AP level. Honors level is just fine. It’s more important to have a balanced schedule, and excelling in all your classes, in my opinion, rather than taking a class just because you think a college may like to see it. When I applied to college, I was significantly stronger in the humanities (english, social studies, and government) and it certainly showed in my record. As a person interested in international relations and government, math wasn’t my strong suit.</p>
<p>During my senior year, I had the same dilemma. Do I want to take more rigorous versions of courses because the colleges I applied to recommended it, or did I recognize my own strengths and weaknesses? For the record, I was debating between AP Physics and AP Calculus or simply AP Environmental Science and Honors Calculus. Despite some people on CC recommending the former because it was more rigorous, I knew I was more interested in environmental science and my math skills would benefit from a more relaxed atmosphere. In the end, I was really glad I chose the latter. It made my senior year much more enjoyable, and I got into the college I wanted to go to <em>yay</em></p>
<p>In the end, it should make very little difference. Taking one more AP class may show more rigor and getting college credit has it’s benefits, but only you can decide if it is a good choice for you. Personally, I wouldn’t want to go to any college that rejected me because of not taking one class (most admissions counselors don’t think like that anyway). Most colleges recognize that kids have their own strengths and weaknesses (not all kids are athletes for instance, nor are all kids musicians, I am neither) and because they are holistic, they won’t penalize you for not doing one thing. The most important thing is for you to feel confident and happy with your schedule.</p>
<p>Are you a senior? If it were me, I’d take the honors class, rock my teacher’s socks off in that class (hypothetically speaking) and get a good recommendation from them which would probably show more about you than taking an AP class and struggling in it. Then, I’d get a recommendation from a humanities too. </p>
<p>Good luck with your decision! I hope we haven’t pressured you in one way or another. Like I said, there are benefits of taking math/science APs (such as not having to take them in college) but an honors course can give you a good foundation for when you do take it (ex: I wish I had taken honors chemistry instead of skipping straight to AP which was stressful for me) Best of luck!</p>
<p>Well besides academics, I’m also in NHS and English Honor Society. The clubs I’m in aren’t really that impressive; one is where you go to the local elementary school and read to kids and the other involves performing science experiments for elementary students. I currently have around 210 volunteer hours and I’m close to reaching 260, which is is when you earn an award for community service and school recognition. I also volunteer at a local art gallery and last spring I did Teen Court (I also plan on doing it next spring), which takes place at my county’s circuit court and student volunteers participate as the “jury” in juvenile cases.
I’m also currently applying for an internship.</p>
<p>I always get a smile when someone says “not much” and it turns out you did get yourself “out there.” Try to take a look at a sample Common App, so you can think about how to word these activities. Also think about what else you may have done- through your religious group or whatever. See if there are patterns and how your energies add up (ie, do they show your vision and willingness to get involved? And how?) You can PM me.</p>
<p>Have safeties you love. Because the competition for Ivies is fierce and unpredictable. </p>