dropping an AP class mid-year looks bad?

<p>Our (public) school has some of the most rigorous AP classes. This year (junior) I made a very bad decision: out of 7 classes total, I took 6 AP and one Pre-AP (required before the AP, but AP-level). The Spanish class is my toughest class - I come from a school where only the Hispanic students even dream of taking the class, and even they think twice. The teacher, while nice and helpful, is incredibly tough. I took a risk and took it anyway - BIG mistake. I literally sleep less than 2 hours a night and my grades have slipped to low A's, not to mention the high stress I have, not understanding the language well enough. If I drop the class, I know my grades would soar to high A's AND I'd actually get decent sleep. would it look bad to drop the class? There is a weighted semester class that I can take, an honors writing and lit class, that is offered next semester.</p>

<p>I would only drop it if my grade was bad.</p>

<p>Less than 2 hours of sleep per night?
I really hope you're exaggerating~~
But if you're serious, I say drop it ASAP.
Otherwise you're shortening your lifespan substantially >.>;;
No college is worth that.</p>

<p>Agreed with Ink if that is really the case. If it isn't, however, it might look like you were giving in a bit to Senioritis, but I would send a nice letter to your colleges explaining the situation.</p>

<p>thanks for the responses!
lol unfortunately i'm not really exaggerating... my avg is about 2.5-3 hrs a night. I resist the temptation to sleep in class.

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I would only drop it if my grade was bad.

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Well my grade is a very low A, which looks pretty bad by HYP standards, doesn't it?

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If it isn't, however, it might look like you were giving in a bit to Senioritis, but I would send a nice letter to your colleges explaining the situation.

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Would colleges (especially HYP) take that into consideration? I'm a junior, so "senioritis" isn't really the problem - would they still understand?

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Otherwise you're shortening your lifespan substantially >.>;;
No college is worth that.

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are you SURE that an HYP school isn't worth dying at 45? lol i'm kidding of course
but seriously, would it kill my chances of going to HYPMS or a similar school? or a competitive honors program like utexas's dean's scholars?</p>

<p>I would drop it.</p>

<p>uhm...a low A, you consider that bad?? Either way, I would still drop it if your only getting 2 hours of sleep.</p>

<p>a low A is bad for HYPMS/etc but granted, I'm doubtful of admission anyway because I'm dropping a class mid-year
would it look less bad since I'm going from one weighted class (spanish) to another (honors creative writing/multicult lit)?</p>

<p>Well, does a low A show up on your transcript?
I know for my school, As and A-s look the same on paper.</p>

<p>I seriously hope you're kidding about A-'s being low.</p>

<p>The difference between an A and an A- is minimal...only drop because of the sleep, not the grade.</p>

<p>A low A is not bad for any school. Don't think otherwise.</p>

<p>It sounds like you are not enjoying the class and have found a more suitable alternative. Drop it! Your grades are likely to improve, your stress level will improve, and you will become a better writer. The only question is will the Spanish you took in middle school "count" as foreign language credit so that you will have fulfilled the requirement for 3 years language that some colleges have? (My son's middle school Spanish did give him a year's credit on his hs transcript, even though the grade did not go into his GPA).</p>

<p>thanks again for the responses everyone! on our transcript, the number grade shows up (like a 92 for example) rather than a letter grade. calgal, my school is like your son's - the credit is given on the transcript, but i don't believe the grade is added to the GPA.
my school has a 3+ years of foreign language requirement for honors graduation, and the middle school credit fulfills it
lol an A- isn't bad for most colleges, but is for HYP/etc, so that's why I'm concerned about it
just ask one who goes there - they're either a URM or have a 96+ at least... and I'm NOT a URM by any definition :(
but will it look bad to HYP or other good univs like Duke, Vanderbilt, etc if I drop the class?</p>

<p>An A is an A.
I wish I could be as stressed out as you with that tough of a course load and still manage to get a pitiful low A.</p>

<p>Haha, don't stress it.
Stop thinking about what looks good or bad to schools.
If the class really is a problem for you, then drop it.
Right now, it doesn't seem like that big of a problem academically since you are still managing to get straight A's.
However, if they slip or if the workload truly does become a problem then drop it.</p>

<p>You can always replace it with another challenging class, that way it doesn't seem like you are just being lazy.</p>

<p>Thanks! Thankfully I do have a challenging class (or at least that appears challenging - a weighted class) as an elective - creative writing and multicultural literature - to replace it with. (Or will a class like that be "challenging" enough? I would take Anat & Phys but the class is non-weighted, plus the creative writ/multicult lit teacher is awesome!)</p>