humanities student in cs?

I’m a humanities driven student but I like math. I’m bad at science though. I’m really interested in CS. Will being a humanities student hurt my chances of getting accepted into colleges with a CS major?

I think generally no, but you will need to show interest in CS somehow. Is liking math the only reason you want to major in CS? You probably want to try programming something basic before setting yourself mentally on a CS major.

Schools do like to see strength in your intended major, but if you have good reasons for wanting to major in CS and can get those to show on your application, you should be as competitive for CS as any other major (though CS schools these days do tend to be more competitive generally). You absolutely don’t need prior experience though, college starts from the ground up. Your humanities interest may be able to combine together with CS even. Look into CS+X programs such as UIUC, Northeastern, and Northwestern. Even at places without CS+X, CS is a tool to be used in the world that can be applied to many other disciplines, so even mentioning how you are interested in using CS in your application can be a selling point.

You may want to check each college’s CS curriculum to see whether it is engineering based or has non-CS science requirements. You may want to prefer colleges where this is not the case if you do not like science other than CS.

Of course it all depends on the school, but if you choose well, it should not be a problem. I think liking math is a great asset for CS–while it’s not math per se, there’s a lot of math involved in the major. Look for a school that does not require an application directly into the major and which has a strong all around program. Don’t worry so much about whether the school ranks at the top for CS; most of those rankings are irrelevant to the undergrad experience. Look instead at the number and breadth of classes offered, the number of professors teaching, how hard it is to get into the classes, what sorts of CS-related activities and internships are available. Sit in on an intro class and see what you think.

My D is completing a joint major in CS and a humanities subject. She did come in with CS experience but it was not necessary. She loves the way that the CS classes encourage collaboration and that it’s a supportive community. She also loves that she’s been able to combine her interests and not been locked into one course of study.

You don’t need to be good at science to be good at computer science. Thinking creatively and logically is a perfect recipe for a good programmer.