How many majors, and how many honours is enough? (Part I)

For those who are Year 4s, or are the few lucky Year 5s who can still choose what subjects you want to major/honours in, do seriously think about which subjects you want to continue on in Years 5 and 6. For people who know me, they kind of think I'm half crazy to actually do 4 honors and 1 major. If you would count the total number of MCs you need to fulfill (79) and the level's average of 2 honors and 2 majors (59), then you probably might agree with them. But by far and large, the message I want to bring forth is: more is (almost) never better.

I will address the question that is on this post's title. How many do I need than do I consider it to be enough?

As many as you can without your grades suffering. Below are a few of the quotes I've extracted from some of the universities many of our students want to apply to:

MIT: Overall, you should try to take the most stimulating courses available to you. If your high school doesn't offer courses that challenge you, you may want to explore other options, such as local college extension or summer programs.

Stanford: The primary criterion for admission to Stanford is academic excellence. We look for your preparation and potential to succeed. We expect you to challenge yourself throughout high school and to do very well. The most important credential that enables us to evaluate your academic record is the high school transcript. Remember, however, that our evaluation of your application goes beyond any numerical formula. There is no minimum GPA or test score; nor is there any specific number of AP or honors courses you must have on your transcript that will secure your admission to Stanford.

Harvard: Our principal message is that you should choose the most academically demanding courses you can find. You and your family will of course take your individual situation into account. Just as each student has different talents and interests that need to be developed, schools vary considerably in their particular strengths.

The universities are looking for people who have shown to be able to stretch themselves. But stretching oneself does not equate to taking the most number of courses. It is simply pointless if you take too many courses and you don't do well enough. Save for the few who can excel and reach peaks in academia (ie. international science fairs/international olympiads), I would urge most to take academics as the primary activity, and do other activities to show your passion!

For me, the compelling reason for me to take the sciences and history was quite unique. I originally intended to drop biology and take up history. But a change of heart, driven primarily because I still somewhat enjoyed biology, caused me to take up biology again. Thankfully, the history classes were scheduled during the elective time slot, allowing me to take the course. The question then becomes, aren't you worried about the workload?

In some sense, yes. The coursework for the sciences (8 MC of math, 6 MC of physics, 3 MC of biology, 3 MC of chemistry) in the first semester was enough a workload. There doesn't seem to be enough time for history isn't it? However, do note that I was then staying in hostel, so somewhat thankfully, I saved the 2 hours of commuting to and from school daily. Workload wise, it was quite similar to that of year 4.

The main difference of course is that in year 4, humanities is compulsory, and in year 5/6, it isn't. I like history, which was the compelling reason for me to continue history. There are also several practical reasons I've come to realise(which I didn't consider actually):

1. History, or any humanities, is good to show that you have taken a diversity of subjects, rather than just sciences. There must be a reason why every JC student has to take a contrasting subject in A levels right?

2. It makes applying university easier. Because of the relatively small size of humanities classes, your humanities teacher will know you quite well. Why is it good? Because for the US application, they require teacher recommendations from a math/science teacher and also from a humanities teacher. Most people will ask their english teachers, but if you take humanities, you have one more to choose.

3. You get more general knowledge. It's both a big bonus for you be it conversation starters or scholarship applications.

Sorry if this post is quite a bit about why I took history. I'll talk a bit more in my next post specifically the workload and what implications you have if you take any of the honours/majors.