Did I just make a big mistake? (Dropped a class I was getting a B in)

So I’m not doing so hot in Spanish 3 and got a 50% on our first test. Despite this I can still pass with a B. I didn’t want a B since I got 5 Bs sophomore year and wanted a 4.0 this year for the upward trend, so I decided to drop Spanish 3 for an easy class computer programming; I would still have the most rigorous course load though. If I were to continue the class my unweighted GPA would go from a 3.82 to a 3.75 which I thought was kind of low for T20s, but maybe not too low with an upward trend. It would, however, also destroy my UC GPA which I didn’t want, 4.11 to 4.04.

Did I make a big mistake? I can still take Spanish 3, but in my senior year where I’ll meet the recommended requirements for most schools. Should I switch back into Spanish 3?

If you’re aiming for the T20s, then yes, it was a mistake to switch. Competitive unhooked applicants to T20s should have four years of a FL.

Switch back into Spanish. Chances of doing well next year, after taking a year off, are slim.

Why do you think you can suddenly be a straight A student? What are you doing differently in your study habits.

@Groundwork2022

Wasn’t going to take a fourth year since most of the schools I would apply to only cared for 3 years, and I don’t like the subject.

All my other classes are As and I would replace it with an easier class giving me even more time to focus on those classes.

Aren’t you just starting the first semester though?

If you do drop Spanish 3, and then pick it up your senior year, then you are going to need to do something between now and the start of your senior year to work on your Spanish. You could watch Spanish TV shows and movies. You could take classes outside of school or over next summer. You could travel to Spanish speaking countries. However, if you do nothing between now and a year from now, your Spanish will get rusty.

One option might be to stick with Spanish 3 now, but get a tutor. I did this for French during my senior year of high school. Two hours per week of speaking French with a native speaker plus watching a few TV shows made a big difference. For TV shows, you might want to consider either sporting events or news shows. In both cases you have some way to have some sense of what is going on which might make them easier to understand.

@cshell2

The first quarter actually, yet I’m pretty confident I can get an A in all my other classes.

Do what you want to do, and it sound like you want to take a different class. I don’t think an “easy computer science” class is going to make the difference of getting into an elite school over Spanish, but you can’t keep switching back and forth. Choose a path and follow it.