I wonder if it would hurt my chances at any of the schools I’m applying to if I were to drop AP Lit in second semester of my senior year.
I’m applying to Stanford Early Action, UCB, UCLA, UCI, UCSD, UCSB, UPenn, Caltech, and USC. Yes I realize there are a lot of reaches on that list.
I’m applying as a computer science / cse major for all of them.
If I need to put down any additional info, let me know and I will.
Without replacing it with another English class, yes, it will hurt. Regardless, you would need to inform the colleges of the change.
I expect that reducing your course rigor mid-senior year or not taking all of the core academic courses all year will be a negative at the very top tier colleges.
I would replace it with Advanced Composition.
Assuming that you report changing from AP English literature to regular English, it will likely be seen as a negative by admissions readers at highly selective college.
If you do not report it now but allow the college you decide to attend to find out about the change on your final high school transcript, then you would risk having the college rescind your admission, since the admission offers will be conditional on completing previously reported in-progress courses with sufficiently high grades/GPA.
If it were anything but English…I assume you are a CA student? You have to take 4 years of English to graduate. I don’t think you can switch even to another English course after 1 full semester of AP Lit and get credit. 2 half courses may not equal 1 full course. Definitely need to check this out at your school. In general I don’t think schools would rescind admission based on dropping 1 course last semester. But English is different.
Advanced comp is an honors class at my school. My school allowes us to level down second semester if we want.
Agree this can be seen as a negative.
Others are suggesting that switching may fulfill your HS requirement. But want you to confirm it meets the a-g English requirement. Some UC a-g requirements need to be yearlong.
My son contemplated a similar change. From IB HL English YR to English 4 second semester.
For the UCs, if the change is part of your application before you submit. Your admissions results will include the change.
My son considered
the change after submitting his applications. One would have to notify schools via email.
He was concerned about timing. That his admissions decision could be made on his application. He would be accepted and then get notification he was under review due to the change.
While I don’t think he would ultimately have been rescinded, I know the review process can last until July. Well after the SIR day for other schools.
@svlab112 It does fulfill both the a-g requirement and my graduation requirement. I know I would have to email the school I already applied to and let them know, but otherwise would it hurt much?
My experience is with UCs. Yes, I think it could hurt. It’s less rigor in a standard requirement (4 years of English).
So as it turns out, my school district is cutting a period of AP Lit because they are stingy and don’t want to pay teachers what they deserve. Unfortunately/fortunately, the period being cut is mine. I have the option of switching to the last period of the day, which would cut into one of my extracurriculars (I currently have that period free), switching to a period in the middle of the day (unlikely since the sports kids are being given priority, since they have sports the last period of the day and thus HAVE to switch to the period in the middle of the day), or leveling down to accelerated comp.
sooooo, obviously switching to the period in the middle of the day would be the best option but I don’t think ill get it. in that case should I drop lit or drop my extracurricular.
I would recommend dropping the extracurricular over dropping down in the class. Hopefully, you’ll get into the one in the middle of the day.
ok yeah I have been trying to leave that extracurricular for a while now. thanks!
@nomood, I am going to take a different view from most of the posters thus far. I don’t think moving to Advanced Comp from AP Lit is going to mean bumpkus if you explain that your choice is due to scheduling changes outside your control. I don’t think it would mean all that much even if you explain it as you don’t care for the class and decided you wanted to try a different class at the semester switch (and going form an AP to and honors class isn’t going to be considered some high drop in ‘rigor’). You could also explain it as you wanted the opportunity to take this specific class (Advanced Comp) because a teacher you admire deeply is teaching it and you wanted to learn from that specific teacher before graduating high school.
But, don’t take my word or anyone else’s supposition - call the schools you have applied to and ask them. You don’t need to give your name, you can call the Admission’s department and ask as a general question (and get each college’s answer) or you can email the admission officer your application would be assigned to and ask them directly.
I read your previous thread about having some regrets as to course selection. Changing this one course is NOT going to be the deciding factor in being accepted or rejected from the schools you have applied to, same as the fact that getting a 34 versus getting a 35 won’t be the reason you are accepted or rejected.
Take the class you want to take, make the schedule you want for the last few months of high school. This just isn’t a big decision in the greater picture. Making a choice, owning it and learning from it is what you can take from this. That process will last long past this course.
Enjoy your senior year 
@beebee3 aw, thanks for the kind words. at this point I think I’ll wait until I see what period I get put into and then decide from there. Either way, I’ll be taking some stress off my plate.
I was moved to the period at the end of the day. Big oof.