What are humanities classes?

How dp the grades in undergrad humanities classes affect graduate school admissions in computer science?

• I'm curious whether a bad grade(in the B range) in a humanities class but good grades in all technical classes(in the A range) will work against an applicant during grad school admissions for computer science. Since a bad grade in humanities class will definitely bring down one's GPA, I wonder if the admissions committee usually do take a look at the courses the student did not do well in when making decisions.

• Answer:

  If it's your only B, then it's not bad at all. While a lower GPA isn't optimal, it isn't terrible either; what matters is, if your applying to a reputable tech school (MIT, Stanford, Berkeley, Caltech), these three factors: Research - If you have done any computer science research (which I doubt you have, since most CS majors don't really go into research), then the quality and impact of your research will definitely be taken into account, especially by the professors, those who read your applications. Internships - Your internships speak a lot about you: your personality, your work ethic, and your technical skills. Just how good are you at coding? If your at Google, then chances are, you're someone who the grad school would likely admit. Recommendations - The recommendation letters that you receive from professors and mentors say what other things can't: who you are as a person, how you study, and how determined you are to succeed. It's the only real part of the application of you that's not filtered through you bias: it's an account of you through the eyes of someone else. Thus, grad school admissions take this into account. As for your humanities class, I think the admissions committee will understand, possibly even appreciate, that you enjoy taking classes outside your major. The exploration of other fields is enlightening; universities know this and the fact that you are a technical major (CS), so they will probably be more lenient.