Will this hurt my chances?

<p>I'm currently in AP Chem and getting a B-... I know it will only get worse from here, as second semester is so much harder. (test averages are Cs and lower. I maintain a B because of labs, homework, etc) I'm getting help from my teacher, I have a tutor... it's just not clicking.</p>

<p>Would it hurt my chances at Colby if I dropped AP Chem at semester and picked up another science class, like Astronomy?</p>

<p>btw I have a 30 act, 3.8 gpa as of junior year and good recs, ecs</p>

<p>That probably depends on a lot of factors. Are you planning to be a science major? Have you taken a lot of AP’s? I don’t see the point of taking an AP that’s killing you and your gpa in an area that isn’t going to be your major if you’ve taken a challenging courseload overall with plenty of other AP’s. Don’t continue the class, in other words, just to add one more AP to your list for the sake of college applications. But if you’re planning a premed major or something, that could raise a whole other set of issues…</p>

<p>I think Sailfish’s advice is spot on, subject to one caveat: can you actually drop an AP midway through the year without getting an incomplete? If so, I would drop it, and not so much for the issue of the grade (one middling grade really shouldn’t hurt you) but because you sound miserable. Sure, there is something to be said for sticking with things that are difficult if not unpleasant, but unless you are planning to be a science major and you can drop the course and switch, I would do it.</p>

<p>While you could drop the class, I don’t think that one B- should be much of an issue. In my personal experience, I got a B- in AP Calc (although it was my senior year) and then ended up getting a 5 on the AP test and accepted to Colby. Given this, I think that if you have a generally strong academic record, and if you are challenging yourself (AP classes) and not falling flat on your face (B-, while not great, really isn’t awful, especially if your other classes are going fine), then you should be in good shape.</p>

<p>Edit: Sorry if this isn’t relevant anymore (if you applied EDII). I didn’t notice the date.</p>