Serious help here, thinking abt dropping tennis sophomore year for 2 or 1 more AP

Pre-College Issues High School Life
1

So our school is trying out this new BS schedule where sports and arts are double blocked(take up two class slots) since I live in Texas, this is problematic because GPA/RANK is king.

Normally, I would def stay in tennis cause I already am going to take 4 APs. But, I really dislike JV tennis and I might not even make Varsity next year.

The major point is that my GPA sucks right now. 5.1 or 5.0 on 6.0 scale(Normal is 5.0 if you max, Honors 5.5 if you max, and AP 6.0 if you max)that translates to roughly a 3.4 or 3.5 unweighted which is not competitive at all especially in my school. You gotta be an A or A+ student to rank and I’m a solid A- to high B.

Currently, my schedule for next year is:

G/T Honors AP Physics
GT Honors WHAP
APUSH
AP Psychology
Tennis
Tennis
G/T Honors Language Arts 2
Honors Algebra 2

I know you guys think this may already be too many APs, but to stay competitive in my school this is what you have to do.

So I’m thinking abt dropping tennis for AP Comp Principles at minimum and AP Envi Sci if I wanna go extra KMS.

So my changed schedule would be either…

G/T Honors AP Physics
GT Honors WHAP
APUSH
AP Psychology
AP Comp Principles
???
G/T Honors Language Arts 2
Honors Algebra 2

OR

G/T Honors AP Physics
GT Honors WHAP
APUSH
AP Psychology
AP Comp Principles
AP Envi Sci
G/T Honors Language Arts 2
Honors Algebra 2

I would also join back up in junior year…I play tennis competitively outside of school. Tourneys and all, and that wouldn’t stop at all.

So my real question is, should I take more APs to better my terrible GPA, but run the risk of not doing my sport all three years and drastically overworking myself, or should I take tennis next year to have that 4-year sport thing, but loss of classes, gpa, and risk of no varsity.

What would colleges like to see more? Pls give me feedback, need serious help

2

Anyone wondering abt Language, I’m doing Spanish 3 over the summer and then I’m done. No more Spanish, not a good class for me

3

I would say drop tennis and do the second option. Here are my reasons:

  1. I don’t live in Texas, but I don’t think playing a sport really matters in college admissions unless you want to play for said college
  2. If you plan on staying in Texas for college, then GPA/Class Rank is really important (from what I’ve been told)
  3. With this in mind don’t just stack on APs for college, remember you are in high school and should enjoy it
  4. Be aware that you’d take 2 AP Sciences and 2 AP Histories (which are writing intensive). If you don’t think you’ll do well in the class, just do honors
  5. What is the prerequisite for AP Physics at your school? At mine at least, you have to finish or be concurrently taking precal
4

@Candyblossom1245 thank you for the input will definitely take your opinion into account.

  1. Really? I thought colleges liked it if you do something like an art credit or sport all 4 years to show dedication

  2. Yep. I ain’t rich lol.

  3. Yeah, trying to consider all the options here

  4. Never really had a problem with writing. But, if I get some bad teachers, will probably drop. I’d rather study a whole lot than do HW

  5. You can take it while taking Algebra 2 here, I’m not really sure cause I can take Stats and Calc as a sophomore as well. But that’s pretty stupid.

5

“should I take more APs to better my terrible GPA”

Trying to not be rude, but really? If you can’t manage the grades you want with the APs you have, taking more (especially junior year) is a recipe for disaster.

6

@suzyQ7 Sure that would make sense right? I’m not all 100% sure it’s black and white like that. the 4 APs I took before maybe adding the other 2 are all subjects that are interesting to me. I love history and SS, might not be a career path, but I do love it. Same with the writing element of those classes.

The classes I do badly and I am currently am doing badly in are:

Geometry
Biology
Spanish

I’m taking AP bio senior year cause I hate that class, I never have to see Geometry for the most part again, Spanish 3 over the summer is literally Spanish 1

Now the other two APs I want to add are yes, to better my GPA…But students in my school are forced to consider these options. Living in TX with huge inflated GPAs everywhere and dog-eat-dog level competitiveness is harsh and makes for a tough school environment.

Plus, none of the 4 or 6 AP classes involve those 3 classes, except for maybe Algebra 2 a bit.

Also, I second tiered AP HUG last semester and I am currently maxing it this semester. Might be the easiest AP, but that should still count for something right :stuck_out_tongue:

However, your opinion is a very valid thought. I just don’t know how to be competitive without taking hard classes and bettering my GPA.

7

What year are you in?
What are your grades in Bio, Spanish, Geometry? ( I ask because on CC some people think a 95 is Bad)

If you are truly doing “bad” in your core classes, then no, I would not load up on AP classes.

Certainly not taking two sciences.
What are you good at? Load up on them.

Don’t take AP World History and US History at the same time.

Take 1 science, 1 math, 1 english, 1 history. If you are going to be a junior, then take 1 more AP. If senior, maybe a couple.

You have to be able to do well in your APs. If you are not doing well in core classes, then don’t take more than you can handle.

8

Agreed. While the workload will depend on the teacher, in general, both courses require a tremendous amount of reading and it is likely that you will have major written projects in each due the same time.

9

Your schedule without tennis doesn’t make sense.
You don’t need high School tennis since you’re doing club so using the tennis slots for classes is a good idea but the overall architecture of your schedule seems like a random patching if APs and honors.
What grades are you getting in your current core classes (English, math, foreign language, social science, science)?
What type of universities are you aiming for?

10

I don’t see either schedule ending well. Taking AP physics as a sophomore and in algebra 2? 2 history APs? Even your schedule with tennis is problematic. Even if you were an easy 4.0 student, your schedule would be difficult.

11

Thanks for all the replies guys! Every single one means a lot to me!

First of all, I’d like to clear some things up. I’m going to be a sophomore in the state of Texas which is already a very competitive state due to the rules, but I’m also in an extremely competitive high school. Our sophomore rank cut off for next year is expected to be around a 5.42. Which is basically maxing most if not all classes. I currently have a 90 average when adding up all my classes.

As you can probably tell, I screwed up my GPA in freshman year and 8th grade.

4 APs is what every freshman is taking next year, hell some freshman took 3 APs this year. Our school is uber competitive with massive grade inflation.

@bopper

Sophmore

Honors Spanish(Got B’s 8th grade(Spanish 1) both semesters and maxed first semester(Spanish 2) and I currently have a 90 this semester. Plan to just take Spanish 3 over the summer and be done.

G/T Honors Biology. I just straight up hate this class as our teacher is terrible. The content is not terrible, but the teacher doesn’t make it interesting. B last semester, B currently as well.

G/T Geometry. I was never good at this part of math. I was good at Algebra, however. I hear Algebra 2 is, of course, more Algebra-based. B last semester, and B currently.

GT LA. Easily maxed last semester and I am currently maxing right now. LA is very hard at my school because the teachers grade essays and narratives harsh.

AP HUG. 95 last semester. Maxing currently.

I am good at both History and writing. I love reading and writing. I really have no problem at ALL with heavy writing and reading classes. In AP HUG currently, our class is blended so our teacher doesn’t teach so I learn everything from the textbook. Our last test, the class average was a 64. I was one of the few who got above a 90. I only know 2 other people in my class who got above a 90. GT WHAP is very easy in our school and essay based.

Aren’t Envi Sci and Physics different from Biology tho? I hear they are also very interesting. GT AP Physics is a medium level course in our school. It being an interesting class helps.

@skieurope

I wish all my classes were like that actually…

@MYOS1634

UT Austin mainly.

@Eeyore123

I’d be inclined to agree if my school wasn’t like the way it is

12

Pls keep on coming with the help guys

13

I understand you are living in texas where GPA/rankings are important. However, if you are only getting B’s in honors classes then you are not ready to overload on AP classes.

14

This may not be the type of advice that you are seeking, but I want to encourage you to enjoy life & don’t stress out about school unnecessarily.

As an observation: For a sophomore, you are very aware regarding planning for college. Nevertheless, do not take the hardest classes just to impress college admissions officers. You need to learn the course material in a manner which suits you at this time. Better to get an “A” in Algebra I, for example, than a “B-/C+” in Algebra II.

15

Is ‘maxed’ a slang word at your school to mean ‘getting an A’?

Because you can’t possibly be top 7-10%right now, UT is unlikely. Piling up on AP s where you risk B’s while classmates get As will only push your rank further. I understand you’re very competitive, but perhaps try to run another race. Try to make NMSF and get into OU Honors. Try for the Benaquisto at UF. Look into AES and McDermott at UTD. Check out Honors at Alabama Tuscaloosa and UAH if you’re interested in engineering. Not to mention all the colleges with good scholarships that don’t care about rank.

16

This is all very helpful guys! Thanks!

@bopper

I’m getting the two Bs in the two classes I knew I was going to do bad in. Geometry has always been tough for me and I’ve suffered from having terrible teachers in Bio.

Are those two classes really good indicators? Especially since I would be taking more classes that put an emphasis on writing and reading.

You’re correct on the fact that I’m really not 100% ready. I have taken that into account.

@Publisher

I would love to take school life easy, but I’m a son of immigrants with green card hopes 6-7 years away. I need to get into a good college so I can apply for an F1(to be able to study in US). I don’t have the luxury to take school easily.

I have to work tougher because I have fewer options. Most of my classmates are citizens and or naturalized, they don’t have the risks I’m facing. Not having a green/not being a citizen is why I’m considering doing all of this. Because if I don’t, I might have to leave the US…

@MYOS1634

Maxed meaning 97 or above. That’s the highest GPA scale in relation to what type of class you’re taking. Normal classes = 5.0 max, Honors = 5.5 max, and AP = 6.0 max.

That’s why I want to start early. Give myself a head start since I’m already behind. A B- in an AP class is literally a 5.0 and a B+ would be a 5.4. While I understand your concern, anything above an A is good because that’s already a 5.5. And anything above that? 5.6 or the holy grail of a 6.0.