Dropping Math HL to SL

[strezzedstudent]

So I currently take 

HL Biology

HL Economics

HL Math

SL Chinese B 

SL English Lit 

SL Visual Arts 

Semester reports came out recently and i ended up with a 6 in bio, 7 in Econ, 4 in math, 6 in Chinese, 5 in english, and a 6 in art. I also participate in a crazy amount of after school activities and face a LARGE amount of stress from my math class. As far as college, I plan on applying to highly competitive schools (UC Berkeley, Stanford, UChicago...) I currently have a low 4 in my HL math class and I know it's only going to go down from there. The only thing discouraging me from dropping math' classes is the fact that colleges will see that I dropped to an "easier" math class and will see me as a quitter or unintelligent. Which weighs more, me getting a higher grade in an "easier" class and my mental health or the possibility of getting rejected for dropping classes? 

[kw0573]

What class are you planning to raise to HL?

I should let you know that sheer number of extracurriculars won't necessarily get you into those programs. You just need one or two good ones that no other applicants do. I would say that if you can get 6 in math SL and same or higher grades in other subjects (eg 6 in English), probably switch to SL. 

[strezzedstudent]

I would take art HL, mainly because I plan on majoring in an arts related topic (film). Does the fact that I drop math levels after a semester weigh in the college application process?

[kw0573]

Like I said, if your grades significantly improve as a result of the drop (ie 3+ points in total) then it completely overweighs the fact that you dropped HL.