I need help deciding on ap classes for junior year!?

Question

im entering my junior year in high school, and so far my schedule for next year is ap biology, ap chemistry, ap literature, and ap american history. im involved in a high school sport, and am also active in my school's environmental club committee, service events, tutoring programs for elementary school kids, speech team, and im really dedicated to this volunteering job i have at a hospital working with sick babies. i really enjoy exploring different aspects of our environmental club..you know, getting out there and doing projects and clean-ups and stuff. I love science more than any other subject.

so anyways, i really don't enjoy history and im thinking about dropping it, but im worried about the effect that'll have on my college resume. i know that the whole purpose of aps is to explore what you enjoy, but i really want to get into a good college (not necessarily ivy though, i dont have that kind of pressure on myself) and will dropping it hurt me more than it will help me? btw, i heard that it was kind of an easy class, so i might feel stupid dropping it, but still..i despise history...

oh yeah and im planning on taking 3-4 aps senior year, which means i will have graduated with 6-7 aps total. is that enough??

thanks!

Answer 1

I wouldn't worry about it.

What's more important is being a well-rounded student (sports, clubs, volunteering - all of those things you listed! great job!), getting good grades (which you can't get if you're doing too many things and taking a lot of classes that are advanced and that you're not interested in), and studying what you love.

If you want to study science, make sure to do well in your science courses and take ap science whenever possible. When applying to a science school/program they'll probably be more concerned with your e-club and hospital hours than with your junior year ap history course.

Don't overwhelm yourself - you won't do as well in school and your health may suffer (by losing sleep, being stressed, etc). You're already doing an outstanding job! I'm also in agreeance with the previous answer - it's probably best to work a bit harder your junior year (since all of that will show up on your college apps), but don't overdo it.

Answer 2

What you chose seems about right.  I took 9 AP classes in high school and got into Penn (the ivy, not Penn State).  I took AP Bio, Physics B, and English Lang and Comp junior year and AP French, Chem, Macroecon, and Psych senior year.  I never took AP US History and did just fine (I hate history too), so don't feel bad dropping it if you replace it with another class of similar difficulty.  My junior year was easier in comparison because standardized testing really doesn't take up much time, whereas senior year was insane because of college apps and essays, scholarship apps, college visits, sorting out financial aid and family savings, and the decision process.  So maybe take harder classes junior year, while still having hard classes senior year to show colleges that you're still motivated.