C+. It was the first time I had ever seen it on my transcript, and I was mortified. Yes, maybe it was a slight overreaction, but come on, I am a Langley kid after all. What caused this tremendous blow to my GPA? In my mind, the culprit was surely the punishment that comes with choosing to take linked humanities.

Believe it or not, underneath all of the infamous bravado, there actually is a percentage of our student body that isn’t Harvard-bound super-geniuses; they are called “average.” But obviously – as our school defies the average – this group of students still possesses the mental capacity to take a few AP classes, just maybe not juggle four or five of them. So that’s where I fit in.

Why, I ask you, should I have been forced to endure an entire year of a course when I was fully aware of my incapacity to excel in it? And I had no interest in memorizing the fact that Vikings used their enemies’ skulls as drinking vessels, or that Incas used to create pots in the shape of peanuts.

Why wasn’t I allowed the shred of happiness that would come from only taking Honors English, and not AP World? At this point, students know their own abilities and limitations. And for some, the linking of humanities puts them at a disadvantage, compromising their prized GPA.

We are already under enough stress as it is from the ever-looming pressure of having to compete for college acceptance with the many savants that define Langley. We shouldn’t have to worry about succeeding in classes we were forced to take because of the humanities link.

Essentially, the delinking of humanities should be seen as a much deserved break, and an opportunity to take the courses that you know will give you your best shot at a good grade.