I’m currently a junior and am considering dropping APUSH. I took AP World History last year, had a 94 final average, and got a 5 on the AP. I very much love history, but don’t plan on pursuing a career in it in the future. I’m struggling in APUSH this year; I do well on the in-class essays, quizzes, and projects but I’m consistently scoring in the low 80s on tests, so my average in the class is a low B. My gpa already isn’t in great shape (93 UW, my school doesn’t do weighted) and I’m afraid continuing with this class will only lower it further. Should I drop the class? I’m taking three other APs this year (AP Psych, AP Lang&Comp, and AP Bio) and plan on taking 7 or so next year. Would colleges look down dropping APUSH since I took APWH last year and did okay?
You should definitely take US History… I believe it may be a nation wide graduation requirement (correct me if I’m wrong).
@MPC6789 If I dropped APUSH, I’d just take regular US history, since it is a requirement to graduate, yeah.
If that is an option for you, then sure. Do you know why you are getting lower grades on the tests?
I agree, definitely do not drop US History. My high school requires 2 years of history for graduation. Most colleges like seeing applicants who have at least 2 years of history courses. Having more than one year of history makes applicants look more competitive.
@MPC6789 Yeah, I have an idea. The teacher divides our tests into two parts, questions from previous AP exams and questions she makes up herself. I do really well on the former portion and poorly on the latter portion. The questions are just so bizarre and I can’t wrap my head around how to answer them so I just guess (usually wrong).
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A B- in an AP class is not too terrible, but if you can take US History Honors and get an A/A- you’re okay.
Wanting to major or “have a career” in history has nothing to do why you take AP history. You take it because it’s indepth and gives you a version of what to expect in college for your gen ed requirements, albeit slower-paced and diluted.
7 APs senior year is foolish or insane. It will not impress colleges (they’ll just laugh at your hubris - Stanford explicitely states “it’s not a game of who takes the most APs wins”) and it’ll severely cut down on your sleep, ability to perform in each class, and of course will affect how much time you have for college applications.
This is what top colleges want - and you can substitute one core class for a double from another core category senior year if you wish: 4 years of English (preferably with AP English language), History/social science, science, plus math up to precalculus or calculus and foreign language up to level 4 or AP. Science should include Bio, Chem, and Physics, plus possibly one AP (AP bio, chem, or physics 1/2/C are stronger than APES). Between 4 and 8 APs, total, and showing a coherent pattern and not “everything but the kitchen sink”. Art (music, band, choir, art history…) is required in some states (such as California) and is well-considered at top schools. On top of this, you should have “personal picks” depending on what you like. Senior year, allow yourself one “fun” class, be it Cooking or Current Events. Keep in mind that college applications will be like one extra class in the Fall.
No you should not drop it. a B is not bad in APUSH. APUSH is a hard class, I understand, but you should not drop it. It will look kind of bad as they will think you can’t handle the workload and such. Just try to do better next semester and prepare for the quizzes and tests like crazy. I have my unit 4 test this Tuesday I’m freaking out. I understand it is really hard. But don’t drop it! Good luck!