Current Senior
Course load: AP Lit, AP Chemistry, AP Calculus BC, AP Spanish, AP Statistics, AP Physics II
Will the fact that I am not taking a humanities/history course this year significantly affect college admissions? Or will my doubling up of math and science cancel it out?
Most likely will major in computer science or computer/electrical engineering. Possibly math or physics as well.
Looking to apply to top schools (Ivy League, CMU, Stanford, Caltech etc.)
This is misleading/ You have 2 humanities classes - AP Lit and AP Spanish. So your question is really asking about the lack of history/social science.
And the answer is, IMO, it’s not a deal-breaker. At least for HYPS, none recommends 4 years of social science; it’s usually 2-3. Penn and Dartmouth do suggest 4 years, but taking 4 years is social science is less critical than taking 4 years of a foreign language (for those schools that recommend 4 years. So check with your target colleges and see what their recommended preparation is.
No; if a college wants something, you should assume that you should give it to them unless you have a valid reason. Doubling up because you like one subject better than another is not really a valid reason. No college expects/wants high school students to be specialists. If they did, or if the allowed, almost every applicant to MIT would only take STEM classes once they’ve completed HS diploma requirements.
You can check the common data set of colleges you are interested in applying to (google “XYZ university common data set”) and look at section C to see if any schools require/recommend four years of social studies. If you don’t have the recommended/required courses your application may be at a disadvantage.
In another thread, you say Ivies. The issue is the competition. They’ll have the max right balance. You haven’t said what history/social sci you’ve taken or the rigor. You also ask about dropping AP Spanish, for another stem class. You need to realize tippy tops aren’t looking for a majority of stem courses for a stem wannabe. They like the right balance, that intellectual willingness.
As others have said, you need to check on each school’s requirements/recommendations. That said, for the most part, as long as you will had at least three years of history and/or social science, with one of them being US History, preferably with a couple of APs in the mix, you should be fine.
I should add: I have taken Honors World History freshman year, AP US gov sophomore year and APUSH junior year
Senior year is the only year where I will not be taking a history/social science class
Thanks for the replies