Help!

really need some advice from anyone. I have to choose between not taking a sculpture course in the fall and a possible sculpture independent study. I would have to have the same professor, and his class (mainly he) has sort of been choking any creative inspiration of mine for a while. I was considering not taking the class and working on my own, loosening up a bit, less pressure. Here's the tricky part: most of my friends are in sculpture and they are really important to me, and I can't get a studio without taking an art class there. I'm treated by some faculty sort of as a beginning prodigy, which I think is sweet but also is frightening me into not making any pieces. I would have to apply to my prof for a possible independent study and work solely with him, but I could have a studio and work around my friends. Or I could explore on my own and find out what I'm actually interested in making, whether my prof approves or not. What the hell do I do? And I need to decide before leaving in 3 weeks for France...I hate lose-lose decisions.