I'm a straight-A student, but I'm considering a paper writing service for a class outside my major

[PaolaErim]

I'm a STEM major. I love science, I'm good at it, I have a 3.9 GPA in my core classes. But I have to take a humanities elective this semester—some kind of literature class—and I am completely lost. I don't understand the texts, I don't understand what the professor wants, and every paper I write comes back with comments about 'close reading' and 'textual analysis' that mean nothing to me. I'm spending more time on this one class than on my organic chemistry lab, and I'm still doing badly.

I'm honestly considering using a paper writing service just for this one class so I can focus on my major requirements. Is that unethical? It feels different than using it for a class in my field, but I'm not sure. Has anyone else done this—used a service for a gen-ed or elective that had nothing to do with their major? How do you justify it to yourself?

 

[Franchesca]

STEM major who took a Shakespeare elective here. →

The "close reading" thing confused me until a tutor explained: it's basically treating the text like data. You're not summarizing the plot (that's like listing observations). You're identifying patterns, making claims, and supporting them with evidence—just like a lab report! The "evidence" is just quotes instead of numbers.

For example: "Shakespeare uses light/dark imagery to show Othello's isolation" → then you find 3 quotes about light/dark and explain each one. THAT'S analysis.

You can learn this. It's a skill, not magic. The writing center exists. Use office hours. Form a study group with humanities majors and trade skills—you help them with stats, they help you with papers. Don't pay someone to erase your struggle. Pay a tutor to guide you through it.