Is dropping Calc 2 a bad idea?

Applying to College
1

I am a senior in high school but my school has an option 2 where we can take all of our classes at the community college.

My schedule for the year is:
Semester 1-
English Comp 1 (A)
Computer science 1 (A)
Lifetime Wellness (A-)
Early Modern Europe (A-)
Calculus 1 ©

Semester 2-
English Comp 2 honors
General psychology
Intermediate Spanish 2
Intro to dance
Calc 2?

I did pretty poorly in calc 1 but it was mostly due to a lack of studying/effort in general. I think I could pull off a C or better in calc 2 if I really try to keep up and understand and memorize everything, but if I drop it I would have a considerably easier second semester and I could focus more on my other classes and put in more hours at work. There is also the risk that I will do even worse in Calc 2. It’s known for being ridiculously difficult, even for people who did well in Calc 1 (which I didn’t). I just need 4 classes per semester (10-11 credits) to graduate so it’s an extra class. (I took 15 last semester and am registered for 14 right now) I have until the end of January to drop without an academic grade. I have until mid April to withdraw with a ‘W’ on my transcript.
My top schools are Smith, Reed, Bryn Mawr, Mount Holyoke, Hamilton, and Scripps.
Should I just drop it? Would that look bad? I’d probably have to report it to them, right?
If I stick with it and withdraw, how would that look?

2

Since you need to declare your entire senior year schedule on the common app which was submitted to those colleges, you will definitely need to inform them of the decision to drop a class. I have heard from many admissions officers at top schools that the absence of a student taking calculus (I don’t know if any other class you took might qualify) is less than positive. Successful exceptions always exist to be sure. However, you often want to maximize your chances of success, and that does not mean hoping to be an exception. I assume they already have your grade for Calculus 1. I say stick with it, even if it means delaying some senioritis.

3

Yeah. I think if I hadn’t submitted any of my applications yet I would drop it but at this point I’ll just stick it out