<p>I'm planning on majoring in International Relations or Political Science.
I am a senior, and I have straight As in most of my classes, but I have a B in honors physics. It drops my GPA from a 4.24 to a 4.15.</p>
<p>More than the GPA drop, it's very time consuming and I've never been so lost in a class as I am now. My teacher is not helpful when I go for extra help- he is one of those "if you don't understand I think you're stupid" teachers.</p>
<p>I took biology, chemistry, and AP bio- I'd really like to drop physics to save my GPA, but I know a lot of schools recommend 4 years.
My counselor told me it's not as important for me; she doesn't love the idea, but she thinks that I need to concentrate on my art portfolio supplement, raising my GPA, and working on my essays.</p>
<p>Edit: I am applying to schools like JHU and WUSTL as my reach schools.</p>
<p>It does depend on the alternative, and whether you can choose regular physics instead of honors physics. However, if you don’t think you’re doing well (I personally don’t think a B is bad, but I’ll let you be the judge of if you’re struggling), and you really don’t want to take that course, you certainly have the option of dropping it. I couldn’t find any recommended course lists for both of those colleges, but since you’re not planning on majoring in a science-related field, it shouldn’t be too big of a problem. In this case, I agree with your counselor.</p>
<p>A B isn’t horrible, but I’m trying to really emphasize my upward trend since soph. year when I moved to NJ. We’ve only had one test, but we have our second on Thursday. The teacher I have for physics is notorious for the difficulty of his class, and I know it can only get harder from now on.</p>
<p>I don’t know if I should take regular physics, because that shows that I’m not challenging myself. I was in regular for the first week because honors didnt fit in my schedule. I am in it now, but I do not have a lunch period or free period, so technically it still does not fit in my schedule (according to NJ state law)</p>
<p>Taking regular physics is considered better than taking no physics, if you decide to drop honors physics. Many selective schools want to see that you took all three of biology, chemistry, and physics in high school, and the introductory college courses in those subjects sometimes assume high school course background.</p>
<p>A lot of schools seem to be interested in the trio of Bio-Chem-Physics… If I were you I would talk to your counselor about moving to regular physics instead of honors physics.</p>
<p>I spoke to my family and counselor about it- I will be dropping physics tomorrow morning to concentrate on writing my admissions essay, raising my GPA, and developing an art portfolio.
Perhaps I will take physics in college or even during my summer break, but for right now it’s just too much for me to handle. I’m an officer for 4 clubs at school and I play a varsity sport, so it’s difficult for me to get home at 7 and work on a subject that confuses me no matter how long I study for it.
I know it sounds like I’m just giving up, but really I’m just trying to prioritize, because my counselor and family agree that I have too much on my plate and I need to focus on what matters to me.</p>
<p>Thank you so much for your input, and hopefully December/ March will bring good news for all of us! :)</p>