Hi. So I’m a Junior in high school, and I’m currently taking AP Lang, and it’s not too bad. I don’t have any real issues with the class. I’m thinking about taking AP Lit next year, but my biggest problem is I really really dislike reading, especially books that I’m forced to read for school. I just really cannot get into any books. Up until now, Sparknotes has been doing the job, but I realize that I can’t just use Sparknotes through all of AP Lit. On the other hand, my school doesn’t have any other English classes that I feel would challenge me or interest me. Also, I feel like I should take an AP class because it would help my chances with college, obviously. I just really don’t think I would have the motivation to read all the books we have to, but at the same time, I feel like it’s my only real choice if I want to “look good” for colleges and be challenged.
- What do you think you want to major in in college?
- How are you doing in AP Lang?
- What other courses are you taking this year?
If you were, say STEM major to be and are taking AP Bio and AP Calc AB etc., then dropping to Honors English or something like creative writing woudl be fine.
If you are a humanities major, learn to make yourself read and take AP Lit.
You should definitely take (or at least try) AP Lit. If AP Lang wasn’t too bad for you, you should definitely give it a go. If you absolutely hate the class, you can probably drop it later if your school allows it to.
Currently I’m planning on majoring in either math or computer science. I’ve recently been considering going into something like physics or biology. In AP Lang, I’m not doing too poorly. Last semester I got a B, and I currently have a C (not to make excuses or anything, but I have a C solely because I decided to not give a speech due to anxiety issues, and I should be able to bring it up to a B by the end of the semester), and I’m confident I’ll do well on the AP exam. As for other classes, I’m taking AP Bio, AP Physics I, APUSH, and German 3 (I’ve already taken nearly every math my school offers, minus AP Stats). I took Diff EQ last semester and decided to not take a math course this semester because I wanted more time to focus on my other classes. I dunno if this is too much information or if it really changes anything, but yeah.
You said you’re doing “not too bad” in AP Lang. In my school many of the kids who have at least a B in AP Lang go on to take AP Lit and get reasonably good grades, so I suggest you should at least try it out. Try to read a little bit over the summer and develop some sort of “passion” for reading cuz you’re right. You won’t make it through AP Lit if you rely on SparkNotes. It won’t be there for you on the AP Exam 