Will dropping this World History AP class hurt my chances for college?

Applying to College
1

I am currently a Sophomore in High school, and it’s been about a month into school, and I absolutely hate this class. It isn’t the teacher, it’s the essays, the notes, and the projects; it’s all overwhelming.
I have a lot of ECs for example, I have a non-profit group that I created, student council, soccer, golf, and this year I was elected Class President. I’m also taking other honors classes, so those aren’t easy to balance with all of these things.

The point is, I am really stressed out. I don’t see my grade (87 currently, was a 95 THREE DAYS ago.) going any higher, only lower. I don’t see myself knowing the skills to write a DBQ or a CCOT by May. I really don’t wanna stress out over a class, where I have a high chance of not getting a 4 or 5 in. I’m only a Sophomore and I feel like I should’ve waited until Junior year to take my first AP class, because right now, I can’t drive and it’s hard to manage my time.

So if I had the opportunity to drop this class, I would in a heartbeat, but would it hurt my chances for college admission significantly?
I wanted to apply to highly selective colleges like Stanford, UCs, and a few Ivies, but even now those reaches are impossible. Heck, my “match” school (UT) is now considered a reach school for me. This class is the only B I have, and I’m a kid that’s used to seeing straight A’s, and seeing this B is killing me!

I hope I didn’t sound like a whiny baby. It’s just been a lot of stress on me lately. I just want to know if I should drop it or not, since I’m not the only one considering it (a lot of my friends are considering it too). Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks.

2

Yes, you can drop an AP class and not kill your chances at a selective school. One AP class more or less isn’t going to change your change of admission anywhere. One B more or less isn’t going to change anything either. If it’s stressing you out that much, you can take a regular history class. However…you may be missing an opportunity to develop the writing skills you need later on.

And keep in mind that none of your ECs, either individually or all together, will make up for a weak GPA or transcript. If your ECs are cutting into your academic time, drop some of those ECs. Schools that care about ECs at all, care about quality of engagement - your impact - not the quantity or the titles. Check out Cal Newport’s website, Study Hacks, for great advice on how to manage ECs optimally.

If this sounds like a mixed message, it is. Your academics come first. Your ECs don’t make up for academic shortfalls. But don’t get silly about academics either and stress every time you see a possible B looming.