It’s my senior year, and I decided to take AP English 12 and AP Biology. When I graduate, I plan on majoring in Political Science. This year, I wanted to take AP Bio to challenge myself, especially since I really like biology. Well, I started taking the course, and the workload and everything about the class was stressing me out insanely. It was giving me really bad anxiety, and I felt like it was taking away from my other courses.
My question is, do I have to tell colleges that I dropped the class? My counselor says they’ll see I dropped it on my final transcript, but she also told me that I don’t have to report it to colleges. Since I’m not pursuing a STEM major, she doesn’t see why I should report it. Should I report it or not? I also dropped an elective for another elective, but she didn’t see the point in reporting that either. What do you guys think? I’m not sure what to do, or how to notify colleges if I do have to tell them.
If you haven’t already submitted apps, I assume the transcript you show will include only courses in which you are actually enrolled. You don’t need to show course changes.
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Have you submitted any applications that list AP Bio as a current /senior course? If so, you have to inform those schools.
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Yes. How do I go about doing that? Is it really a big deal if my counselor said I didn’t have to report it?
I did submit some applications. They’re only for local schools. I just don’t see why my counselor would say I don’t have to tell them. Maybe it’s not a big deal since I’m not pursuing a STEM major?
Are you replacing it with another science course? Are the schools you are applying to more competitive in the admissions process? Those schools will expect to see one course per core subject area every year. If your application and transcript have already been submitted, you should notify schools. If the apps are done, but transcripts have not been sent, you should still notify them because you need the supporting materials from your school to match what you provided on the application.
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She’s wrong.
While the college will certainly see the final transcript, they also hate surprises. Any discrepancy between the transcript and your application counts as a surprise. You need to inform colleges to which you’ve applied. It likely will not be a big deal, especially if you replace the class. But you need to be proactive.
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How do I notify them, though? Do I tell them why I dropped the class? Do I just tell admissions?
Yes, I replaced my science credit. My credits are fine. I’m not worried about that. I just want to make sure my counselor isn’t screwing me over
Also, do I mention the elective?
Good to know my counselor is screwing me over
Email or portal update. No need to give the reason. A simple “My schedule has changed as follows” will suffice.
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Some schools have something in their portal where you can provide updates. You can also email admissions. No need to explain, just a simple “My schedule changed. I am no longer taking X and am taking Y instead”.
The substitution isn’t a big deal, it happens to a significant number of students. The big thing is to be honest and proactive. As mentioned, you don’t want to surprise anyone after an acceptance or seem like you are trying to hide something in your application.
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