Advanced Placement (AP) classes are a major part of the American high school experience. Since they are regulated by the College Board, these classes not only offer a max 5.0 GPA instead of the usual 4.0 but also can provide college credit.
Achieving a high grade in one of these classes is no small feat, however. The overall increase in workload in these college-level classes can take more time and effort, something that can be a sudden change from previous years.
As college admissions approach, some overschedule themselves, leading to an overall drop in academic performance.
Because of the way the school structures its curriculum, most students start taking AP classes their junior year, a critical period for grades.
“Junior year is known for being a more difficult year, and there’s more pressure on it because it’s the last full set of grades that go to colleges when students apply,” Associate Director of College Counseling Josh Shandera said.
Within their hectic schedule, Juniors have to balance between course rigor and workload.
“It’s a problem if students are taking on a schedule that they cannot manage,” Shandera said. “That is a problem if you are taking on coursework that is just going to create too much of an overload for you… We want you to take a course schedule that feels like a good balance for you.”
The extra time spent studying and doing classwork can be time consuming, often taking away from the time that would normally be spent on other classes.
“If a couple of classes are taking away time from other classes, and you start to not do well across the board, then that choice of taking that more difficult class because it ‘looks better’ is actually hurting you,” Shandera said.
The bigger load or coursework can lead to endless nights of studying to the point that it takes up all of a student’s time, leaving no room for relaxation or activities that students may enjoy.
“(AP classes have) basically consumed everything I do,” junior Collin Ku said. “I get home, take a shower, eat a snack and then do my homework, which usually takes an hour and a half. And then, especially now that AP (exams) season is coming up, I study for 30 minutes per subject, which usually takes three or four (hours).”
One option Ku suggests to alleviate this desire to take an excess of AP classes in junior year would be to let freshmen and sophomores take them; however, this solution presents multiple problems that lie within the students themselves as a result of this ‘drive for excellence’ and the competitive nature of the school.
“Part of me says we should let freshmen take APs,” Ku said. “Part of me (also) says that it’s probably a good thing that we don’t because the freshmen will try to overload and then build horrible habits.”
The school’s curriculum is designed specifically to keep students from overworking, allowing them to build good habits before taking difficult classes like AP courses.
“What I hear more often is students trying to add in more courses, which (reserving AP classes to junior year) is somewhat of an intentional limitation of our course and schedule set design,” Shandera said. “There are only so many spaces available, so students have to be really intentional in what it is that they choose and select to take.”
Freshmen and sophomores might not normally be able to take AP classes, but the on-level courses that the school offers are still rigorous and have plenty of learning to offer.
“I think (flexibility) is a luxury that teachers in independent and private schools are able to take advantage of,” Shandera said. “They are not teaching to a test, much like public schools, and so they have more flexibility with their curriculum.”
