AP Classes: Worth It? | Teen Ink

AP Classes: Worth It? MAG

By Anonymous

     You see them in the halls, in a daze, stumbling toward their classes. Their faces are ashen with fatigue; their spines are bent under the weight of a dozen textbooks. They are the ones struggling valiantly to stifle a yawn during class, the ones frantically rereading their notes before an exam on the nature of light photons during photosynthesis.

They are the few, the chosen. They are the AP students.

The truth is, honors students are no longer a select few. Over half of university-bound students take AP classes, and of these, most take at least two. The AP system drills into our brains that our college success hinges on taking as many advanced courses as possible, but is it really worth it? “On average, I spend three to four hours each day on homework,” says one senior, who is taking five AP classes. “With the number I’m taking, I really doubt that I will be confident going into each test.”

With increasing pressure to enroll in AP courses, not only for college credit but also for the weighted GPA, it is no wonder that students often find their grades suffering and their stress levels soaring. In reality, AP courses have become mere trophies, adding little more than volume and sparkle to a competitive college application.

One of the major flaws in the AP system is that every class is geared toward a standardized test. The result is that comprehensive learning is sacrificed for the sake of test preparation, with teachers spending the most time on topics likely to appear on the AP exam.

“It feels like sometimes we rush through material or ignore parts of the subject,” says one senior. “It would be nice to sit back and learn for the sake of learning, not just to get a five on the test in May.”

And just because a student receives a high grade on the AP test does not mean he or she will receive college credit. Many universities now don’t consider an AP class in high school to be synonymous with an actual undergraduate college-level class, which is usually a three-hour, lecture-based course with varying degrees of homework.

According to another AP student, “the sheer volume of learning” is what makes the workload so challenging. It is simply not feasible to absorb an entire college class in less than an hour a day, with all the other classes and responsibilities.

For those who wish to delve further into a particular subject, college-level classes may be a fantastic idea. But the current AP course system is flawed and too test-intensive to provide students with an optimum learning environment. Perhaps more high schools should consider offering their students the opportunity to take actual college courses through a local university.

Or maybe we should all just go to college.



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This article has 79 comments.


james said...
on Apr. 7 2012 at 4:11 pm
Regurgitating is the word.

er2014 said...
on Apr. 3 2012 at 8:58 am
i dont agree with the less homework learn more 

Blairezie GOLD said...
on Jan. 2 2012 at 7:14 pm
Blairezie GOLD, Montrose, Colorado
18 articles 0 photos 14 comments

Favorite Quote:
"You must never give in to despair. When there is no hope, you give yourself hope. That is the true meaning of inner strength." -General Iroh

I agree 100% with this post.

on Oct. 28 2011 at 11:19 am

wow thats really intresting

 


SKinGZ said...
on Oct. 27 2011 at 6:22 am
You make an excellent point that more homework does not mean you're learning more. Read widely, have time for volunteering or other activities. Let high school be high school.

on Sep. 14 2011 at 11:30 pm
the-ampersand PLATINUM, Ogdensbury, New York
32 articles 1 photo 106 comments
i feel like i'm seeing that in just a lot of classes-- AP and not AP. it's like everything at school is just focused on getting good standardized test grades and not being smart-- because being smart is totally different than being educated :P

on Sep. 14 2011 at 7:13 pm
savetheplanet PLATINUM, Anaheim, California
45 articles 9 photos 564 comments

Favorite Quote:
It is better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.

Hmm, I appreciate your article but I have to disagree.  While AP classes have become the standard for college bound students, that doesn't mean they're not worth it.  I go to a very highly regarded high school, and all of our teachers are excellent who deliberately avoid teaching to the AP test.  We learn in a very student friendly environment that is geared toward pure intellectual advancement.  And regardless of wether the class is counted for college credit or not, why not just take the class for enjoyment?  Why not just to learn?  And guaranteed, these classes will help you prepare for college even you don't earn credit for them.  Granted, these classes are not for everyone.  You must be a dedicated, intelligent student.  But for those who fit these requirements and make it through, it's worth it.

on Aug. 23 2011 at 6:11 pm
jaymishae SILVER, Jonesboro, Arkansas
6 articles 1 photo 14 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein

 must admit, all of my friends are taking AP classes this year except for me and they always have more homework then me so while i get to goof off they are working. And the funny thing is that I've learned more then they have so far.

on Jul. 10 2011 at 4:24 pm
reganplek BRONZE, Tracy, California
2 articles 0 photos 3 comments
OR, we could all take IB courses that focuse more on application and depth in subject areas (;

on Jul. 10 2011 at 3:42 pm
practicallychaoticallyperfect BRONZE, Austin, Texas
1 article 0 photos 1 comment
very insightful and well-writen.

on Jun. 19 2011 at 12:04 am

More like stamina.

Not skill


on Jun. 19 2011 at 12:03 am

Right.

And you say, "10 seniors graduated valedictorian."

Not all of us can take that amount of work and do it all year round. That takes an insane amount of skill.

 


on Jun. 18 2011 at 5:17 pm
nascar48jj SILVER, Cicero, New York
6 articles 0 photos 17 comments

Favorite Quote:
"The question isn't "what are we going to do," the question is "what aren't we going to do?""-Ferris Bueller

As I am about to take a AP Euro class as a sophomore next year, I can see your point in this article. But in a school that has 800 kids in a graduating class, taking AP classes really gives you a boost above a majority of your class. Basically all the colleges in the state take the AP scores, and they are looked highly upon when applying to colleges. Most kids who take the AP classes, and do well end up in the top 50 in the class, with many free rides, and scholarship offers.

Curly_Sue said...
on Jun. 18 2011 at 2:21 pm
Curly_Sue, Sand Springs, Oklahoma
0 articles 0 photos 75 comments
As an AP student i have to agree with everything you said. There is too much presure put on the "benifits" of taking AP classes, the work load is unthinkable, and the rewards are unseen. You never truly get to learn anything.  It's a little thing called "regergitating the facts".

Venus18 BRONZE said...
on Jun. 6 2011 at 6:17 pm
Venus18 BRONZE, Dallas, Oregon
2 articles 0 photos 2 comments
This article has some good points, however if you decide to take AP you should realize that some colleges don't accept AP scores. To me, someone who's planning to take AP US, AP english and AP chemistry next year and AP European history, AP bio and AP Psych senior year, part of my college selection will depend on if a college accepts AP scores. I think AP is a great thing for students ready for a higher level of course work.

gpnukem said...
on May. 27 2011 at 7:12 pm
I'd agree with most of what you said.  In my opinion, the biggest flaw in the AP system is that because students are so pressured to take AP classes, teachers end up dumbing down the material.  Lots of students just Dual-Enroll, so it doesn't matter if they can't perform on the AP test.  Ideally, this would be a good thing because it should allow the teacher to teach with the primary goal being learning rather than passing a test.  Instead, it means that as long as the teacher gives out copious amounts of A's, everybody gets college credit and they didn't actually have to do any of the work.  I almost think that's how it should be, though.  Most of these credits will only count for gen eds in college anyway- why does it really matter if we know the material or not?

on May. 27 2011 at 7:11 am
abstractintensity PLATINUM, Denton, Texas
23 articles 1 photo 4 comments

Interesting piece. I know that my school adds a new scale for taking AP classes. Instead of a 4.0 you have a 5.0.

But the work isn't too hard. At my school, ten seionrs graduated valedictorian because of their perfect 5.0 GPA (which means they never took a single regular core class throughout high school) and all got free-rides to whatever school they wanted. The work can obviously be done, the question is just do you want to do all of it. In such a competetive world with colleges you need all the help you can get. The 10% of the senior class at my school this year had no lower than a 4.4 GPA which signifies taking at least one AP class. The colleges and universities may not actually take the scores and give you college credit, but if you want to get into a good school you need to finish high school well, and with a lot of schools you need at least one AP class to do that.


on May. 5 2011 at 1:29 pm
LissaBee SILVER, Cheektowaga, New York
6 articles 0 photos 3 comments

Favorite Quote:
The smallest minority on earth is the individual. Those who deny individual rights cannot claim to be defenders of minorities.
-Ayn Rand

Word of advice: if you're a senior, and you KNOW your college doesn't take AP credits for anything other than admissions....don't do it. 

My college doesn't even look at the scores. Just the class grade. So while it probably helped my admissions chances a little bit, the fact that I still have to take the test kind of eliminates any worth they had.
Not to mention the fact that I probably would have gotten more out of another elective than another AP English class. Lit and Lang are pretty darn similar in the end


Irene GOLD said...
on Apr. 13 2011 at 8:15 pm
Irene GOLD, Dublin, California
10 articles 3 photos 9 comments

I agree with almost everything you've said, but AP classes aren't that bad if you've been doing "advanced" work your entire school life. This is more of a response to the comments of this article. I'm Asian (for people who aren't familiar with the stereotypes, I'm an "overachiever") and I've been in honors/advanced programs my whole life. I started taking AP classes the first chance I got (I started with one in sophomore year). For people like me, taking all AP's or a lot of AP classes isn't that bad because we know how to pace ourselves. We were introduced to the workload of only one or two AP classes gradually. Now compare us with somebody who has had zero experience with AP classes and decides to jump in junior/senior year with a whole bunch of AP's. Of course they'll be drowning in work. I guess my point is, AP classes are not that hard if you know what you are doing. And, by the way, 3 to 4 hours spent on homework a night is a godsend (this is coming from someone who plays sports as well as takes AP classes).

I think taking AP classes is worth it if you come out successful in the end. Higher GPA's may not guarantee anything, but they certainly make it easier to get into colleges. And for people, like me, who think ahead, if you were working at, oh let's say Google, and you just looked at applications of college graduates who would you most likely hire, the graduate from MIT (or any top school) or a graduate from a random local school?


on Apr. 13 2011 at 9:05 am
TabbiJane PLATINUM, Rockwood, Michigan
27 articles 26 photos 16 comments

Favorite Quote:
"It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live."






--Albus Dumbledore

Right now I am in AP US History and AP Psychology, but I took the classes because I wanted to learn more about the topics covered. One of my friends on the other hand is taking all AP classes. Biology, Calculus, History, Psycology, and English. It is driving her insane. She is constantly willing herself to stay awake during each class and I think that because her older sister took five AP classes as well, her parents are kind of holding her up to her sisters standards. Seems kind of strange to me. She is constantly on my back about how you need AP classes to get into a good university