What should I do? Class Struggles!

Pre-College Topics High School Life
1

I am having some difficulty in some of my classes this year. Here is some basic info about me for contextualization…

The courses I am taking this year are AP Calculus AB, AP Physics 1, AP Computer Science A, AP US History, AP Psychology, and AP Spanish.

I am a Junior and am currently ranked 1/305 students in my class and have a 4.0.

My class is VERY academically gifted as compared to the other grades at my school. I’d say that there are about 20 or so people aiming to attend a top 20 university.

My dream school is either Stanford or Georgetown, and I have a good list of around 8 other match/reach schools that I really like. I also will be applying to my state school as a safety.

For possible majors, I am unsure between economics, somewhere in the business field, international relations, or engineering (possibly with project management).

Feel free to check out one of my last threads that may have more information about me if you would like a better idea.

Here is my problem, two of my classes are proving to be extremely difficult. Here are the two classes and the issues surrounding them:

AP Physics 1- The teacher is not the best (pass rate under 30% for last years AP test) and the class is very difficult. Out of the 30 or so students who took it, only 4 got A’s in the class. Realistically, I don’t think it’s plausible for me to get an A, especially considering other academic and extracurricular obligations. I do, however, really enjoy learning about physics and find it interesting as we learn about why things act as they do. I like what I am learning in the class but do not have the time to get an A.

AP US History- The class is curved for the average to be a B and it only has two tests a quarter. My first test I scored an 80 which locks me in for getting a B for the first quarter. Apparently, almost everyone gets a 5 or a 4 on the AP test from my school but only those who can commit major time reading the textbook can get an A. I am interested in US History and really like the teacher, but getting an A is nearly impossible, at least for the first quarter.

The issue is that the majority of the top students at my school aren’t taking these two courses because they are notoriously hard at our school. If I get 2 B’s in these classes, then my GPA and class rank will drop. What should I do? Will these two grades kill me competitively? Should I try to drop these classes?

Thank you in advance for any advice you can give!

2

Before you get into the weeds, is it actually possible for you to drop at this point? What does that look like on your transcript?

3

@Sybylla I believe I can still drop the class at this point without it appearing on my transcript. The difficulty will lie in switching into a class 8 days behind.

4

With APUSH, you will have to work harder immediately, not just next quarter. Focus on reading the book so much that you can recall the order of the information presented and the pictures in the book. You don’t have to read it a ton, but generally, one very focused session of reading followed by reading it again and making a detailed outline is enough. Then, read over the outline before the test. Get the AP book now and review that before a test. Use CrashCourse videos and quizlet APUSH review packets. Since there are so few tests, you will be able to plan way ahead and study for it almost as if it is a final. The class will prove very difficult but ultimately will teach you how to adapt to academic rigor like no other AP can. As for physics, you may want to look into getting a tutor if you don’t understand the concepts. Physics is much more difficult to teach yourself, and having a bit of help to explain the concepts will take you far. Learn the concepts ahead of time, or at least try to familiarize yourself with them before you begin that unit in class. Maybe talk to someone at your school who’s gotten an A in the class before and see what advice they have for you. These classes are very hard, yes, but if you’re planning on getting into Stanford, you’ll just have to adapt. Also, you mention that you don’t have much time. What’s taking up most of your time, other than these two classes?

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@h0kulani First of all thank you so much for all the great advice!! I really appreciate it! I will look into getting a tutor for Physics and try to work ahead. For APUSH, I will look into the prep materials you listed. I guess that the class is more like a college class will be- which will end up better preparing me for the future. Other than these two classes, the majority of my time is spent by extra-curricular activities. I am heavily involved with student government and am lucky enough to be my county student council president this year. This is a rather large job and I have to miss a large amount of school for different events and conferences (a good number of which I have to plan and lead). However, this activity has helped to forge my interest in politics and international relations and I would rather not get less involved in it. Apart from that, I run year-round in Cross Country and Track. Additional activities can be found on my last thread. Thanks!

6

In briefly reading your post, you seem to be saying "is it okay for me to drop classes to maintain my #1 standing? "
NO! B’s are okay in tough classes!