I haven’t been ignoring the humanities, but I also haven’t been focusing on them a lot. I’ve taken English at the standard level. This year I had the opportunity to take AP English, but decided against it. I don’t think I will be interested in the class, and I’m worried it will lower my GPA. I’ll consider taking in 12th although I think that is unlikely. I’ve also taken Spanish up to level III, but dropped this year so I could double up for AP sciences. I have thought about this a lot, and I stand by that decision for a few reasons:
- I’ve maintained A’s in these classes
- I already know a foreign language that I have been speaking at home for my entire life
- I’m not just dropping Spanish to get more free time. I’m using the extra space in my schedule to pursue more STEM APs which I believe will be more impactful than simply doing a 4th year of Spanish like everyone else. I would not be able to pursue all these APs without dropping at least one class. Spanish and Research are the only options.
I’ve also been compensating by taking more history APs (World, US, Euro) which I enjoy much more. I realize the value of humanities courses even for a STEM major, but this is a calculated risk which will hopefully pay off.