Hi all, I am currently a junior in high school and want some advice (pros and cons?) of dropping classes between semesters. I took AP Chemistry first semester in 1st semester and was thinking of dropping the class 2nd semester and filling the credits in another way. I got a C first semester in the class (which is weighted to a 3.0) and was told that 2nd semester is harder and based on knowledge that you should already know. If I continue into 2nd semester, I still plan to not take the AP test. My school only requires 3 years of science so I can take another (easier) class next year. I am currently taking 3 other APs along with sports and other extracurriculars. Additionally, my teacher is pregnant and will be gone for half of the semester (depending on when her baby comes and if she comes back when she said she would). Would colleges see that I didn’t take both semesters of the class?
Yes, colleges will see on your transcript that you didn’t take the course for the full year. Depending on your intended major and where you want to go to college, you may need a full year of chemistry. Can you drop down to honors or regular chem?
Hello,
thank you for your reply! Sorry I meant to ask if it would affect my chances of getting into college. I originally thought I would go into pharmacy or a science-related field, but I am reconsidering. I actually took honors chemistry last year (which is a prerequisite to get into AP Chemistry) and got high A’s both semesters. Only a small handful of students in the school were qualified to get into AP Chemistry.
The answer still depends on whether or not you are hoping to be a direct admit to a STEM program and/or how selective are the colleges to which you wish to apply. Would your transcript show a W in the class?
Thank you for your advice. I am thinking of applying to schools with around 40% acceptance (which includes UC’s mainly) and I am doing decent in my other classes currently. I have a cumulative 4.1 overall GPA (the max GPA a junior can have is 4.2 since only 2 AP classes count towards transcripts). It won’t show a W on my transcript, but obviously it will have AP Chem for first semester, but not second.
Well, colleges will see it on your transcript, but you will probably be okay under the circumstances you describe.