AP courses are a big part of high school life. I’ve watched classmates take six – eight AP classes their sophomore and junior years.
I’ve never understood the reasoning to take such a hefty amount of AP classes as they’re known for being difficult. However, when broken down, there is a lot more that comes with AP classes than just difficulty.
AP courses are advanced placement courses that allow students to participate in college-level courses while still in high school.
First of all, the GPA boost. Due to the difficulty of the courses, high school students are given a 1-point GPA increase, whereas an honors (advanced) class would only be given 0.5 – point increase for that class. This helps put students that take AP’s in higher rankings, given that they do well.
Secondly, AP classes go into more detail than on level or honors classes. They give you a deeper understanding of concepts that you may be wishing to pursue. For example, many people take AP Biology after already taking Biology (either on-level or honors) their freshman year. This could help create a greater understanding of biology, preparing them to possibly major in biology.
Additionally, taking AP’s gives you the preparation and experience of the work ethic in college.
On the other hand, people often fail to recognize the stress factor, and end up not doing well in all their selected classes. When signing up for eight classes, you are signing up for eight different college level classes that will all give you extra work and challenging tests.
The workload is also excessive. Shouldn’t there be a balance between school and free time?
If you pass the AP exam, you are also given the official college credit. Although, depending on the college you choose to go to, there is a risk that college won’t accept that credit and have you redo it again.
The price to take the AP exam is around $100, disregarding additional fees. Even with low-income discounts, you’d have to pay around $60.
The decision to take/ not take AP classes depends on the specifics of the course you’re planning to take, and the level of confidence that you’ll do well in the course. It’s important to think through all the pros and cons before deciding to take an AP course. Weighing the benefits and challenges will help come to a good decision. For more information, talk to your counselor or visit AP courses.
