Not Sure About AP Classes? Here’s Why you Should Take Them

By Luke Langlois

As a student progresses through high school, one of the most monumental decisions they have to make is choosing which classes they want to take. Most of the time, classes in high school are pretty streamlined. But, as a student gets to junior year, sometimes sophomore year, they are presented with more choices. Usually, a student gets the choice of whether or not to take an AP class. Today, I would like to present the knowledge I have of AP classes, being relatively experienced with them. I do not intend to FLEX my classes. Rather, I would like to offer some advice to those who are going to be making these tough calls soon. Let us begin!

1. College credit – If you’re a student who intends to go to college, an AP class can help you get college credit. College credit can be awarded for a score higher than a 3, though some colleges will only take scores of 4 and 5. It depends on the school. But, in general, a high score on an AP exam will save you time, energy, and money in college, probably the most valuable resources. This is the most straightforward benefit, but it is likely the most important one in practicality. In addition, if a college allows an AP course to fill a general education course, you can get a jump-start on your major and quickly start on work that you are passionate about. If you are unfamiliar with how many classes/credits you need to have to get a college degree, I’d look it up. You need to take a lot of classes! If you are given the early opportunity to fill up a college’s requirements, DO IT!
2. Majors – On the topic of majors, AP classes can help you narrow down what you potentially want to major in. Large colleges these days can have hundreds of possible programs, so you probably do not want to go into college with zero ideas on what you want to do with yourself. If you turn out to be absolutely awful at AP World History and are not able to remember historical facts to save your life, you’d know that, just maybe, history isn’t the direction for you. And, of course, doing well in an AP class could drive you to a certain major. Personally, I have been completely steered straight. No biology majoring for me. Just kidding, I have no idea what I want to do with my life. But, I do have a much greater understanding of what I would be getting if I decided to major in Biology. The same goes for all of my AP classes.
3. Up your game – AP classes, conducted well, will challenge you and push your academic limits. When classes do not have a well-defined deadline that they are approaching (like an AP exam), they can take a good amount of time to make sure the class understands the material. This is not something that’s bad about non-AP classes; a slower pace is the better option for many students. But, if you are looking for a “thrill,” take an AP class. In AP classes, the class has a test approaching. There is no time to take breaks. For example, the AP Biology textbook we went through this year contained 43 comprehensive chapters. Some chapters were shorter than others, but none of the chapters were ones that you could just get through in a day or so. In classes like this, students are forced to up their academic game if they want to stay on top of the workload.
4. Colleges love it – Colleges are like parents. They want students that can make them proud and give them a good name long after graduation. When you take AP classes, you are giving colleges a concrete way to view how you challenge yourself. Essentially, AP classes show colleges that you are willing to dedicate more effort to your academics. Course rigor is important.
5. Be humbled – This sort of ties in with my third point, but AP classes are going to be harder than any other non-AP class you have taken. You may think you’re ready for it, but you’re probably not going to be. There have been two specific AP classes that I have taken that hit me like a TRAIN. That would be AP World History and AP Biology. AP World was my first AP class. When we started taking reading quizzes in that class, it was the end of my dignity. It’s easy to get lost in textbooks when they detail the history of the entire world. Then, a year later, I started with AP Biology. The first AP Bio test hit me like a fighter jet going faster than the speed of sound. In both of these cases, I was rocked. AP classes challenge you and show you that you’re not as great as you think you are. It’s tough to swallow, but when you believe you have a lot to improve upon, you improve.

I could go on all day about how much I adore AP classes. I promise I’m not a College Board mole, but I do think AP classes get an unnecessary negative reputation. If you have not taken an AP class yet, take one. The AP exams are stressful, but we get the privilege of taking them at THE PALM VALLEY SCHOOL (unless you take something weird like Latin). You may hate taking the class with all of your being all the way up until June, but in the end you’ll look back and say “I learned.”

Editor: Hannah Hall