Our school have a block semester schedule. For this semester, i’m taking AP Lit, AP Gov/ AP Econ( a combined year long class), AP Physics C and AP CS Principle. I didn’t enjoy AP Physics I , so i want to drop physics c and take forensic instead. It would be a online course.
I heard that it’s bad to drop classes your senior year( especially from AP to on level), but does it really matter if i 'm still taking four other ap classes?
Also, how would i let admission offices know that there’s a schedule change? Do i do it myself or through my counselor?
Depending on the school, it may or may not matter. My kid got permission from her ED school to drop an AP class, and was told that because of the overall rigor of her schedule the drop would be fine. But that school was a match for her, not a reach.
You need to email each admissions office and either ask permission (if you’d keep Physics C to preserve your chances) or notify them (if you’re going to make the change regardless).
If there are any schools you haven’t yet submitted applications to, update your current year courses on the Common App before submitting.
You’d be better off letting them know, rather than surprising them with the change after they admitted you. Finding out that you knew of the change before hearing about admission but didn’t let them know until after probably wouldn’t be taken well.
It’s not really “permission”, just notification. Don’t expect a reply from schools where you haven’t already been accepted.
“Does it matter?” Of course it does. Everything in your application matters. Given a fairly rigorous schedule, it may not be a big deal. But it’s not nothing.
Depending on the major you applied for, dropping a core AP course (do you have another science?) for a regular level elective could be significant - STEM major especially.
I want to major in Biology and I had taken a number of math and science classes. For math, I had taken AP Stat, AP Calculus AB & BC and Multivariable Calculus.,etc… For Science, I had taken AP Biology, AP Physics I, APES, Honor Human Anatomy, and Advanced DNA/Genetic Research( post AP),etc…
I had always taken the hardest class available, all of my classes are AP and Honors, and by the time i graduate, i will have taken 15 AP classes( without physics c). If colleges look at all of my classes, they would know that i’m someone who challenge myself with rigorous curriculums. I want to take forensics, but i don’t want it to look like i have senioritis and is taking the easy way out( i’m not, I’m still taking four other AP classes).
The biggest reason i want a change is because physics is so boring to me. I hated Multivariable and had the chance to drop the class but everyone said it’s gonna get better. I regretted signing up for that class everyday and i don’t want it to be the same for physics c , especially when it’s the last semester of my senior year.But if dropping the class would lower my chance of getting accepted, i guess i would suck it up and just go with it.
“The biggest reason i want a change is because physics is so boring to me.”
This sounds like a perfect reason to ditch it.
Where have you applied?
Would a good grade on the Physics C AP exam exempt you from Physics classes required for potential your Biology major?
One more, or one less AP class won’t make the difference in your admission at this point. Dropping Physics C for a more fun class can be easily covered by “schedule conflict” if anyone would ever ask. But to make that work well, a live class at your own HS makes more sense than an online class. And sorry, but neither Forensics (as in speech) nor Forensics (as in science) make sense to me as online courses. Both of those make much more sense as live classes.