<p>OP is asking specifically about HYPMS, schools that have the luxury of choosing from countless near perfect applicants.</p>
<p>For such schools, taking a fully rigorous course load should be a given. For high schools that offer a full range of APs, as the OPs HS apparently does, that would include AP Eng Lang junior year and AP Eng Lit senior year.</p>
<p>Face it, many applicants with near perfect grades in “most rigorous” course loads, great scores, ECs, etc. will be rejected from these schools. To aim for these schools and CHOOSE to slack off in English seems imprudent to me.</p>