My daughter did the same and also attended a top LAC. I like to think that her writing ability shone through on her essays, and that her SAT and subject test scores in English indicated that she had what it took to succeed in college, AP (or in her case IB) or not. My guess is that the smaller schools with their holistic approach to admissions won’t dismiss someone just because of one class choice, if everything else is in place and they can otherwise show proficiency in that particular area.