I am a sophomore who completed AP Chemistry first semester, but my teacher has not posted our grades and will not until the fourth day of the second semester. I most likely will either get a high C or a low B grade. I am thinking of dropping AP Chemistry for my second semester and transferring into a regular Chemistry class, where I will most likely get a high A. This will not be marked as a Withdrawl or anything like that on my transcript. Will colleges think badly of me dropping into a lower-level class, even though my unweighted GPA will be preserved?
I don’t think colleges will see that you switched levels. However, regular chemistry might not be rigorous enough. Can you transfer into an honors-level class? I think AP to Regular is an extreme jump, even if colleges won’t see you were originally in AP.
What are you planning on for a major? Taking an academic science class may disadvantage you , if you are planning on going to STEM. Even if not, at harder schools, you will be compared against students that tried to challenge themselves in classes not related to their major.
I know you’re worried about your unweighted GPA, but a perfect GPA UW is not that impressive if the course rigor is low. You want a balance – good grades but also challening classes. This is why honors, if anything, is a better fit.
If there is not honors level offered or you decide to stay in the class, I have some advice. Personally, I think you’re already halfway through and to try to stick it out.
I took AP Chemistry as a sophomore also. I freaked out, especially because I had never taken Chem before and it was deemed the hardest AP in my school. I constantly got confused, gave up on homework, and I even had a meeting about dropping the class but there were no honors options available, so I had to stick it out. Honestly, staying in the class was the best thing for me. I ended the year with an A and a 5 on the exam. It took a lot of work, but the class was really rewarding. Here’s some of the things I did to pass the class:
- Princeton AP Exam Review: I annotated the whole reading section of this book. I used colored highlighters and pens and carefully read through. I felt super prepared for the AP Exam, but it also helped me understand concepts in class. In addition, I took notes on the contents and used my class notes to supplement the material.
- Study Groups and Extra Help: I met with my teacher and asked questions all the time to better understand the material. I also had groupchats with students, and we met occasionally to work on homework problems and study.
-Khan Academy, Organic Chemistry Tutor: Watching videos allow you to pace yourself and can reinforce the information.
You’re not failing the class. You’re doing about average. It’s an AP Science; it’s supposed to be challenging. I don’t think you should drop to regular. Perhaps honors, if possible. Or, you can create a plan and stick it through for another semester to show colleges you challenged yourself.
In short - yes. Colleges look at transcripts for rigor and grades. There are no “that one doesn’t count” courses, especially in the core curriculum.
A “low B” in AP and a “high A” in a regular class is just a B in AP and an A in regular. I suspect most colleges would prefer to see that you challenged yourself. Even a C vs. A is a close call, IMHO. I would suggest working with the teacher and using the suggestions above to try to maintain a B by the end of the year.