Hi, I just got my acceptance from Purdue for Computer engineering. I am currently taking Ap chem Ap physics and Ap Calculus Bc together, but I have a C in AP chem. I am scared that I am going to get rescinded for that. Should I drop out of Ap chem for next quarter or stay in Chem.
I have an A in English
A- in Ap calc
B+ in Ap physics
C in Ap chem
You won’t be rescinded for a single C. AP Chem is a valuable course.
Placing out of, or being well prepared for, CHM115, required for FYE, is quite useful, if you go to Purdue.
Oh ok thank you. So I should stay in it to maybe get credits for it?
If you drop a class you will need to report that to Purdue and any other school that has your transcript.
Stay in the class and get extra help to keep your grade up. It will help you in college.
I hope you take some time to reflect on what the grade is telling you. College courses as an engineering major are going to be challenging. You should spend some time thinking about what you could have done differently to get a better grade in this class. If your conclusion is “nothing, this is just too hard for me” then it doesn’t bode well for college. More often it is a result of not studying enough.
When you are in college you can expect to spend 6-10 hours per week outside of class for each math/science/engineering class doing the reading, homework, and additional practice problems. For the latter there are “Problem Solver” books you can get that have thousands of worked problems. Since this is a slow-paced version of a college class you ought to be spending 5 hours or so each week on it.
As an aside, nationally about 1/3 of those starting in engineering switch majors. Since it is a difficult major for admissions most of them could have learned the material, my take is they just decided it wasn’t worth it.
I think dropping the class this far into the school year is harder to explain than the C. I agree with the others, stick with the class and hopefully you can improve your grade. Do get extra help if you need it.
Agree with the others.
–Note that your acceptance to Purdue (or any other college) could be rescinded if you drop a class without the college’s permission.
–One C will be fine. Just be sure to keep the grade in the C range. Seek out extra help when needed (ex. with the teacher, a tutor, online resources such as Khan Academy etc.)
Ok thank you, should I call Purdue’s admission office to tell them my concerns
If you plan to attend Purdue you can ask if you can get permission to drop AP Chem and keep your acceptance (my guess is they would want to reevaluate your acceptance but you can ask).
If you have been accepted to any other college(s) you are considering attending you need to get permission from them as well.
If you are waiting to hear from other colleges you must inform them if you drop the class.
Be sure to do this all in writing so you have a record (in case someone questions it down the road).
Again, my recommendation is to keep APChem and work hard to keep the grade up.
Stay in AP Chem. As someone who excelled in the humanities throughout all levels of educational instruction, but struggled with the hard sciences, chemistry was a particularly difficult class for me in HS. I had to work extremely hard, and, to this day, I don’t feel that I have a complete grasp of the subject matter. I think some people are just more inclined to the humanities and social sciences while others have minds that are better suited for the hard sciences and abstract mathematics. If you shirk away from the challenge of a difficult course now, you’re going to shirk away from challenges in college and in your adult life. Make AP Chem your priority from here on out and go above and beyond what it takes to master the course material.
Thank you for your advice!
I was just scared of getting rescinded for that C in Ap chem.