Drop AP Classes or get a B? Help Please!

Hello,

I applied to universities and already got accepted. I plan on attending USC or BU.
My transcripts show straight A’s on everything and even semester 1 of senior year, so my mid year grades were awesome.
But now, 2nd and 3rd semesters, my grades are falling a lot. I am taking too many classes. I can pass them all with a B or higher but I am scared that universities will rescind my offer.

Is it better to send in a transcript with Bs and B+s with a total average of B+/A-, or send a transcript at the end of the year with straight As but with fewer classes than indicated.
should I drop my classes (1 or 2) or suck it up and get lower grades?

Also, the problem is that I am waitlisted at UPenn. They want to see my final year grades. Is it better to show them that I dropped a class or that I am getting lower on that class?

@confusedsenior28

that’s a tough call. how many classes are you taking that you can drop 1 or 2?

if you don’t need the classes for graduation or for college credit, i would look into dropping them and asking to have the Withdrawal notifications scrubbed from my transcript. i would think that straight A’s would help your Penn appl more than the sudden appearance of B’s.

i would like to hear others opinions on this though.

@Wien2NC I have 7 classes, 5 AP & 2 A Level. I need only 5 classes to graduate.

I could explain to PENn in a letter that I am one of the last 3 students at school to stay in these AP Classes since the grading is terrible this term but I didn’t want drop. I’ll mention that I’m working extra hard to try and maintain my average.
Also, Withdrawn doesn’t show on the transcript don’t worry.

As for BU and USC, I’m fine both ways right? I already got in

@confusedsenior28

why would you take 7 classes your final semester of HS? are you nuts? there is no upside to ridiculously overloading your final semester and the obvious downside is the situation you find yourself in now.

what classes are you considering dropping? are they both AP and is the college credit necessary for your future major? how many APs will you finish with if you drop these classes?

@Wien2NC I do not take classes based on semester hahahah don’t worry. I’m taking 7 classes all year round. They split the material over 3 semesters. My grades for the same classes went down this semester due to a new grading system. I think I would just drop AP Micro. Even if I drop it, I will still take the AP Exam. I learned all the material anyways, I just don’t want the grade to stick.

For god’s sake, Bs won’t kill you!

What will kill you are D or Fs. YOu are far from it

@confusedsenior28

OK, got it. sorry.

i think it’s OK to drop AP Micro if you can just take the exam and get college credit anyway. will this plan ease up the pressure enough to get A’s in everything else?

is Penn your preference, then either USC or BC? i would not send Penn the letter you described, as this would only draw extra attention and scrutiny to your situation. frankly I wouldn’t say a word about it and hope they don’t notice. I would have a good explanation ready to go in case they do notice it and ask you.

i would think you would still be OK for USC or BC with a B or two, but i would really like to hear some other opinions.

he’s waitlisted for Penn and I could see how a straight-A transcript suddenly sprouting a couple of B’s could move him to the reject pile.

but yeah, I think he’s still solid for USC and BC.

Just called BU and they said it is fine and that they prefer that I do not drop my classes @Wien2NC
I guess the same goes for USC. I’m safe for those 2 universities.

My only problem is with Penn. I guess i’ll just mention that I’m working extra hard to maintain my grades even though it has been extremely demotivating since my classmates have all dropped it or something like that. I won’t mention a drop in my grades.

@confusedsenior28

OK, you are good to go for BU and USC. Fantastic.

Penn, I don’t know what to tell you. The letter might seem proactive, but to me it sounds like making excuses and I don’t know if the attention it would draw to your situation would be helpful at this time. But is it really better to sit on it and say nothing until you hear back from them? I don’t know. I would be inclined to sit tight and finish as strong as you can.

But hey, USC and BC – great schools and great job on your part. Best of luck to you.

@Wien2NC Thankyou so much!

No one will rescind an offer because you got B’s. If you drop a class you have to tell the college…that might make them take a second look. Keep all your classes if you can get B’s in them.
No need to send any letters if you keep your classes and get B’s in them.

When is your year over? Most likely Penn will make a decision by the second week in June at the absolute latest (go look at last year’s wait list conversation.) So depending on where you are in high school your grades may not be available by then. Penn will probably make a decision without looking at these grades unless they specifically asked for them.

The general rule is if you drop a class that you listed when you applied, you need to notify the schools you are accepted to and the schools you are applying to. Not sure what the rule is for a wait list school.