Dropping AP Physics C: Mechanics - Bad Idea??

Applying to College
1

Hi, CC Community.

I am a hardworking student with an estimated 3.8 GPA, 4.12 weighted. However, AP Physics C: Mechanics is the hardest class I have ever taken. This is for several reasons. One is that everyone in the class is also taking Calculus - I am not, because the teacher told me I didn’t need it. Another is that the teacher failed to teach properly the first half of first semester. The third is that I guess my brain isn’t properly suited to this study.

I am not sure what the problem is; I am just never sure of how to start the problems. I have gone in for tutoring, looked up help online, asked friends in the class; for the two semesters I have been taking this class, nothing seems to work.

What it ends up being is that I am investing nearly all of my time into one class only to fail it. I currently have a failing grade in the class and squeezed by with an 81 last semester.

Of course, I will talk to my school counselor; but I would like extra opinions.

Should I drop the class? I have only been accepted by one college so far (UGA), but am awaiting decisions from many top-tier colleges. Will this affect my chances of acceptance? If they are not aware of it before my decision and they accept me, will they rescind my acceptance?

I would like to add that A) I do not need this class to graduate, B) My current courseload other than this class is Journalism, AP Lit, AP Gov, AP Econ, and Mastery Band, and C) My intended major is Political Science or International Relations and my “strengths” I focus on in my applications are history and, primarily, creative writing as I have won several awards for that.

I welcome any opinions, thank you in advance,

  • Kat
2

That’s tough. It definitely won’t look great to colleges, and you don’t want uga to rescind acceptance. If you replace it with another ap, I’m pretty sure UGA doesn’t care. I don’t know why your teacher would tell you that you can take it without calculus. She or he basically set you up for failure by doing that; you can’t take any physics above ap physics I at my school without calculus. If you call UGA without an issue and alert all your other schools, I would do it because it’s not worth struggling considering you don’t even really have the correct prerequisites.