AP Chem was not offered this school year and my student government wouldn’t have allowed me to take it anyways because Chem is a block at my school and my scheduling would not have permitted it, but I do plan on taking it next year along with calculus
Yes, a 3.5 GPA requirement to maintain family funding would discourage the OP from exploring interesting but potentially highly rigorous electives while encouraging the seeking of “easy A” courses for electives.
(Yes, this can also apply to scholarships with high GPA requirements, or medical and law schools.)