My dilemma is that I cannot take both classes next year. They conflict with each other, so I have to pick one.
If I had to decide between both classes earlier, I would have chosen AP Spanish in a heartbeat. I have an incredibly good relationship with the teacher (I had her for Spanish III as a sophomore). She wrote me a letter of recommendation that I needed to have when I applied for DACA and has helped me tremendously with the process. She adores me a lot - she said it herself - and I’ve been wanting to take AP Spanish since sophomore year, so part of me wants to give up the school newspaper (which is a class rather than an after school activity) to fulfill that desire.
The problem is, however, that I might become editor-in-chief of the school newspaper next year. I am not 100% sure that I will obtain the position, but there is a decent chance that I will. Being editor-in-chief has its obvious perk; I will have an admirable leadership position (one of the only ones I will have next year) to put on my college application. If it’s worth mentioning, I plan on majoring in English in college.
I’m going to be brutally honest - if I don’t become editor-in-chief, then I’ll most likely drop the class and take AP Spanish instead. If I do obtain the position, however, then I will take up the offer and pass on AP Spanish. I’m just afraid that my schedule will no longer be as rigorous if I drop AP Spanish… If I were to drop it, I would still be taking three other APs (the maximum amount you can take at my school without special permission), but I’m also planning on taking some easier classes (Precalculus, Physics, and, if I have to drop AP Spanish, Economics… these are all regular classes, by the way, since my school does not offer honors). I really wanted to take AP Spanish so that I can increase my course rigor, show my strength in the humanities, and complete four years of a foreign language, but editor-in-chief is also something I really want and, dare I say it, need for the sake of having a significant leadership position.
My question is… would colleges penalize me for not having a rigorous enough schedule if I choose the school newspaper over AP Spanish? Or would they praise me for having a leadership position (one college that I really want to go to places strong emphasis on being a leader)?
If it helps, I speak Spanish fluently, so I can easily get a high score on the SAT Subject Test and/or take a placement exam in college if doing so will alleviate the damage from not taking AP Spanish.
Sorry for the INCREDIBLY long post, but this is something that has been bugging me for days! I would be eternally grateful if someone can give me some advice and/or reassurance. Thanks guys!