I am currently a Junior taking AP Lang, and although I find the class extremely easy, I hate it with a passion due to the loads useless and annoying busywork. I am wondering how much taking standard English instead of AP Lit next year will hinder my chances of getting into colleges. I am planning on majoring in engineering so English would not be very important. I will also most likely be taking AP Calc, Ap Chem, AP Psych, and H Engineering Design & Development (a PLTW course) along with my choice of English class. I am assuming that these other courses will help to “balance out” my decision to take standard English senior year, but I am unsure because everyone who I ask freaks after I tell them I want to take standard English and say it will look terrible for college. Please comment any suggestions or input.
English and being able to communicate your ideas through writing is undoubtedly important for engineering, but you don’t necessarily have to take AP Lit. For example, I only took regular US and world history instead of the AP counterparts at my school (I’m a math major) and I don’t regret it.
Go have a talk with your guidance counselor. He or she has to fill out an evaluation form as part of the common application. One of the questions is how rigorous your academic schedule is compared to that of your peers. You want to be in the ‘most rigorous’ category. Will one AP class more or less make a difference in the rating? Only they can tell you that. Once you know whether it will have an impact on the GC eval, you can decide if its worth it to you to hang tight for one more AP. (By the way, is it the same teacher? If not, might you enjoy the class more? The downside to non-AP classes is that, if the teachers aren’t really good, they can be boring.
Can you take dual enrollment classes? Maybe taking an English class that way would be an option.
AP Lit is not necessary. Taking Honors or Regular English would be okay (or an English elective about something you’re interested in, like science fiction, dystopias, whatever.)
However, be aware that English IS one of the few “general education” classes that you’re required to take and pass regardless of where you go to school, and all ABET- accredited programs will require a good ability to communicate, analyze, and represent, both in written and oral forms, therefore with English required as well as a set of humanities and social science classes.
Do you not have Honors English? our HS has College Prep, Honors and AP.