My school is on a trimester system, and we’re currently close to the end of the second trimester. I’m taking computer science 1 right now, and am scheduled to take computer science 2 next trimester. I’ve already been accepted to a UC school and a CSU school, both in their respective honors programs. I’ve also applied to other UC schools, as well as a few private schools, both in state and out of state (including 1 ivy school).
I’m not enjoying computer science 1 right now, it’s a hard class and I’m not sure I’ll be able to get an A in this tri or next tri. How lenient are schools typically in allowing me to drop the class in favor of an off period at the end of the day? I DO have a volunteering program that starts next tri, so taking an off period could actually help me manage my time better too. Is this a good enough reason to tell a school I want to drop a class, and if they’d be ok with it?
FYI: dropping it before the next trimester starts has no bearing on my transcript (i.e.: there’s no indication I ever took the course). I’ve checked this with my counselor.
Sorry, I should clarify: I’m not considering dropping CS 1, I’m considering dropping CS 2, which is next trimester.
Okay… a couple of things. It doesn’t matter if you get an A this last semester of high school! Hard to unwind from all those years of pressure, but yes… you can get a B (or probably even a C in one class) with no sweat. So if you think it will be helpful to you in the future (eg, will you be going into a field where CS skills are useful? Taking more in college?), my advice is don’t drop it. Trust me, you will be happy you have gained a little more skill in high school if you are going to encounter it again in college.
That said, (1) if you change your schedule you must notify your colleges – they really care about this, and will notice that the classes you said you were going to take on your app aren’t on your year end transcript, and (2) they won’t have an issue as long as your schedule is still pretty rigorous and your mid-year report was good.
@intparent thanks for the advice! I’m going to be a biology major, so likely not going to see much CS, if any, in college. And as far as getting an A or not, id prefer to not get a B. This may sound silly and immature/selfish, but I have a 4.0 UW gpa, and I’d really prefer not to mess it up. Kind of a moral thing I guess, idk lol. But, again, thanks! I’ll contact my schools and see what they say
It isn’t a “moral” thing… you must not know what that word means. Possibly a point of personal pride (a fairly meaningless one). Honestly… students who can’t risk a B are a big part of what is wrong with our education system today. 
Yeah, moral is definitely not the operative word here. In any case, just do what you feel will make your last trimester of high school the most pleasurable for you. Because nothing you have indicated you are considering will make a whit of difference one way or the other for just about anything, except your own happiness.