15" Mid-2012 MBP - Which OS would be best?

2.7 GHz i7, 16 GB DDR3, 1TB Mac HDD

Upgrading my OS has become a necessity for a university project. I've read that Sequoia runs pretty well on this model, but I wanted to get some feedback before I dive headfirst into updating my OS. I am planning on installing Sequoia from a USB drive.

My biggest concern is data loss since I am still in school and have a lot to lose. I had considered getting a 2 TB external drive to back up my data to.

Does anyone have any recommendations for or against this plan? Should I be concerned about data loss? Is it worth getting a 2TB drive to back up to?

Unrelated: I am also planning on replacing the current battery with one from iFixIt. If anyone has experience with this and has any tips to offer, that'd be greatly appreciated as well.

submitted by /u/coley_ghost
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