To clarify, I didn’t mean that the science subject itself was a waste of time, just that I thought my time would be better spent taking a class more closely related to what I wanted to major in since I only have a limited amount of time in my schedule. However, I think I’m going to take AP Chemistry next year. Thanks!
Hi! I’m a current Harvard freshman who got in with (basically) three years of science:
I took honors biology my freshman year, honors chemistry sophomore year, and IB SL Chemistry junior year. I did take IB SL Psychology my senior year, but I think that’s usually considered more of a social science. I also didn’t take math senior year (my school only went up through Calc BC, which I took in junior year, and dual-enrolling wouldn’t work well logistically).
I think not taking science/math was definitely the best decision for me—as a humanities major, these classes didn’t hold a lot of interest, and not taking them freed me up to spend a lot of time on my application senior year, as well as extracurriculars I loved such as music and writing. I think that other commenters are correct in saying that it’s probably better to err on the side of caution and take four years each of math and science, but I do want to let you know that it’s possible to get in without them, provided that you have scores to prove that you are competent in math and science classes, and that you still chose to challenge yourself senior year with other high level courses.
Even so, it’s’ more than stats and ECs. And no one anecdote tells the even its own full story. Getting an admit is based on the whole picture and institutional needs.
If you are unhooked, you’ll be competing for 1 out of maybe 500 openings.
You’ll be compared to other applicants who are great students of both the sciences
and humanities, most of whom have successfully dealt with more than one substandard
educator.
Accept the challenge and overcome.
Pretty much the only attitude and option.
I’d get a kick out of a GC writing something like this:
“Typically I advise my students to take four years of science, including biology, chemistry, and physics, with at least one of these being at an advanced level. Unfortunately that wasn’t possible in this case because all of our AP science teachers totally suck and the AP European History teacher is an absolute dreamboat.”
^The typical paragraph that’d be acceptable would be
“Typically I advise my students to take four years of science, including biology, chemistry, and physics. Unfortunately that wasn’t possible in this case because the Physics teacher quit and we don’t offer any AP.”
And no that’s not a joke.
Lol, even better: “…Johnny voluntarily came to me to discuss other options…” Then what the more important considerations were. Not football, some club, studying for his sat retake, etc.