<p>Hi! I'm a rising senior and wondering if only taking 2 years of a science class will hurt me in the admissions process? It's possible to take 4 years at my school, but most people take 3 and that is the recommended number, but science is not my thing at all. I will be above/at the minimum requirements in all other subjects:</p>
<p>4yrs math (2 honors, 2 regular), 4 yrs of spanish (1 AP), 4 yrs english (all honors and AP), technically 5 yrs of history/social studies (1 AP and I took 2 social studies classes my sophomore year so its like 5 years), 2 yrs of art (AP art history). </p>
<p>I can list the schools I plan to apply to if anyone thinks that would be helpful. I have definitely taken a difficult course load and attend a rigorous private Catholic school, so even the non honors classes are not snooze classes. I want to major in Political Science or possibly Sociology and maybe go into law or working at a political organization. Thanks for any input!</p>
<p>If you are applying to very competitive schools, yes, it will matter if you take fewer years of science. </p>
<p>They do not care so much what your declared major might be. They want to see evidence that you have the talent to succeed in all types of rigorous courses. Even Poli Sci majors need to complete college level math, lots of economics, and science for graduation (see the Core Curriculum or General Eduacation requirements at your preferred colleges.)</p>
<p>For us, we were required to take Physics/Chemistry/Biology over 3 years because those are the most basic sciences. Many colleges require 3 years/2 years of lab sciences, and physics for me was not considered a lab science. It’s not about how hard your classes were in this case, but about how many you took. I figure you’ve taken the basics, but still, better to be safe than sorry and just at least take one more.</p>
<p>Oops, guess i should have specified, but i’ve already checked the requirements for all my schools (no ivy leagues or anything super difficult) and they all require 2 years, i just wonder if anyone thinks/knows if having the minimum for one subject area is bad. The schools I want to apply to are University of San Francisco, U of Portland, Seattle U, Loyola Marymount U, Western Washington U, St. Martins U, George Washington U, Anerican U, and maybe U of San Diego.</p>
<p>Yes, it will hurt your chances. Whether or not it will keep you out of schools is another story. If the minimum required is 2 years and you have exceeded the requirements in other areas, you may still gain admission to most or all of the schools.</p>
<p>Most colleges require you to take one semester of science, so it’s better to take the 3 years in high school and be prepared for a science for non-majors type class.</p>
<p>Hm ok. The only thing is I dont think it’s possible for me to be above in all the subjects, mostly because we are required to take religion each year so that only leaves me with 5 classes.</p>
<p>In that case, colleges will understand. They look at your academics in context with your school, and if you have to drop an elective to make room for something you need (and can’t make more room for it due to required classes such as religion), they’re not going to penalize you for that. If you choose that elective over something they think should be done (which would be the recommended 3+ years of science), then they’ll start scratching your head.</p>