I’ve already applied to all my schools, but as we approach the second sem I’m realizing I don’t have what it takes to float in bio. I got a B last quarter (which was hard enough) and find myself stressing nearly every day over this class. I’ve applied to all my schools as a communications major and have no desire for a science based career. I don’t think sticking with the class will end well for me, meaning I don’t think I’ll pass the exam at this rate and I’m running off of hope that I pass this semester at all. I just don’t think I’m made to be the science type.
Is dropping an AP senior year really that awful? Should I stay miserable these next couple of months or get my life back?
Have you already taken Biology? Do you have 3 science classes theoughout HS?
Typically, if you already have 3 sciences or more it won’t matter for a Communication major.
Note that it’s best to have a content minor that you can add to that major (Hispanic Studies, Environmental Studies, Appalachian studies, Political Science, etc.)
If you do drop AP bio, you will need to notify all of the schools where you applied that you have had a change in schedule. The change may or may not impact their decisions, but you must inform them.
Since your grade will not matter as long as you get a C minus, and since you do not need the AP exam, I would say stick with it to try to learn the material, for the sake of general life education. It is probably the last science class you will ever take. I would only drop it if it is truly affecting your mental health. And you would have to report and explain a dropped class to all your colleges. Better to try for the C.
This depends entirely on the schools you applied to. If they are highly competitive, you probably need to stay the course. S24 is in honors multi variable calculus and differential equations. The first term has kicked his butt. He got a solid B. His college advisor said he has to stick with it because it will reflect badly if he drops down. If it’s a high level course not related to your area of interest then you’ll likely be okay. In fact, it may be a plus. S24 is interested in humanities, so taking a hard course outside his area of interest shows he’s willing to extend himself. Talk with your college advisor. Good luck.
For the record, your son could stay in MVC but the non honors version and it wouldn’t affect his college decisions at all.
@heidi101
Since highly selective/rejective schools don’t have a Communication major, I’m guessing you applied to your state’s and other flagships + colleges such as Syracuse and Ithaca. Can you specify? Because obviously the answer would be different if you’re applying to MIT.
Most important is whether you have already taken 3 science classes or whether AP bio is your 3rd -since 2 vs.3 would make a difference wrt admision requirements.
My two cents is definitely talk with your counselor, but it also may matter what you would be doing instead.
In our feederish HS with a trimester system, it is very common for seniors heading to highly selective colleges to drop one of their third trimester classes in order to do a Senior Project. They will also change advanced electives based on evolving interests, courses they were waitlisted for opening up as other people move around, and so on.
So again this is something to discuss with your counselor, but to me if the story is less that you wanted out of AP Bio, and more that you wanted into something else, that may be a better story.
Not according to his college advisor, who was a senior admissions officer at Penn before becoming the Dean of College Advising at S24’s boarding school. He’s been in this field for over twenty years.
I don’t think that is ALWAYS the case. My friend’s child got into a highly rejective college ED. She was having a hard time with AP calc and asked her AO if it would be a problem to drop down to honors calc. She was Communications major. The AO said if she dropped a level down her ED acceptance woud be "reevaluated. " She got a tutor and finished out the year in AP calc as she didn’t want to put the acceptance at risk. (She may have been fine either way but we’ll never know.)
If you have a B and you think you can maintain a C, it’ll make your life easier admissions wise to stay in.
The test is not relevant here.
If you decide it’s just too much to stay in, contact your schools and see what they say before taking action. Unfortunately, their answer is likely to be generic and non-decisive.
If you’ve met the minimum requirements for specific colleges, then don’t worry - even if you don’t end up where you think - especially given the major because where you go likely won’t matter (although it may depend on the sub field).
You may have no desire for a science based career but the universe may have other ideas for you.
You start as a newspaper journalist covering veterans and military affairs… and then get transferred to science and technology. You work for a large news network as an assistant producer doing feature interviews ("what’s the secret to Taylor Swift’s success?) but get pulled off that beat to cover a promising new treatment for lung cancer that doesn’t require chemo. You work for a PR firm representing major league sports teams… and get promoted to a role overseeing pharma accounts.
Stick with Bio. There is no such thing as too much scientific literacy, no matter what you end up doing or no matter where you end up working.
I don’t think dropping AP Bio matters assuming science requirements for graduation have been completed. I also wouldn’t bother notifying schools if you maintain your load and pick up a new course next semester. AP Bio is essentially an elective at this point and switching courses will not materially affect your application. So I would say pick a course you love and excel at it, and forget about your applications, they’re done.
Because of personal experiences with students, I will ask this question: Have you met your HS diploma requirements?
Your school district/state may require that class for the full year. If you drop the class, and it was intended for your diploma, then you may not graduate according to your school district.
If you don’t receive a diploma, the universities will know that with your HS transcript and will have to rescind any offers.
Contact your counselor. Ask if there is a requirement for this course for HS graduation from your district.
Edited to add: I agree that you should stay in the course. If you get a C, it’s a C and it wont matter long term. Ask for tutoring help just to get through the semester. Don’t risk losing your admissions chances to college because you’ve dropped a semester of a high school bio course.
My S22 son dropped AP Econ after first semester and picked up Civil War. It was an elective. He had an A in the class but hated every minute.
In reality (even at our private school) not a single person told him to let colleges know of a change. That is probably the case at most high schools. We have guidance counselors, academic deans, college counselors…and the Academic Dean who does class changes literally has a line of kids wrapped around his office changing classes during the first 10 days of the semester. The last thing on his mind is college apps.
Because I’m on CC I knew we needed to let colleges know, so we sent emails to a few of the regional reps, but probably not all of them. The typical response was “Thanks! We will make a note in the file…”
It certainly is a bigger deal if it’s a core class needed for graduation.
Please don’t give or follow this advice. You must notify schools of the change. When you apply, you are contracting with the college to evaluate you on the basis of what you submit. If something changes, you need to notify them.
It is up to the school to decide if it matters or not, if it is “essentially an elective” or not, etc. The response will vary, but they need to be informed. Here is what UC Irvine says, for an example:
I think that’s a point worth noting… even at a private school with dedicated college counselors, the only ones notifying universities about a non-material change in an application are people whose parents are on CC…
