<p>I’m having the same problem. APUSH is the hardest class at my school. I don’t really want to take it, but if I want to keep my class rank, I have to. Colleges would rather see you taking classes that you can handle and doing well in them, while doing other activities, rather than see you struggling the entire year and not getting good grades. AP classes are a good indication to colleges in deciding if you can handle college courses, but getting an A in US History is way better than getting a D in APUSH. Plus, since it looks like you want to major in math, engineering, or some type of science, I would really focus on your science and math classes. To gain acceptance to Caltech/MIT you need to basically be “rocket scientist” material and show a great aptitude for math and science. Being a brainiac is one thing, but being a brainiac and having creativity that makes you stand out from the crowd, is another. Those are the people these colleges are looking for.</p>