I sat there with my Advanced Placement (AP) Chemistry book open on my desk. Then all of a sudden, I thought to myself, Why did I take this course anyway? Why did I even bother taking AP's? So I decided to blog about the good and the bad about taking these ridiculous classes.
Good
College Credit- Yay! I get to start getting credits out of the way. How convenient.Money Saver- This one's a pretty big deal: Spending 87 bucks to take a test versus $1500 to take a class. Lovin' it.Looks Good: Colleges are gonna look at how awesome I was for taking such hardcore classes.For the Challenge: Personally, I don't think I'd ever want to take an AP course just "for the challenge", but since some people think it's legit, I'll add it to the list. Hey, whatever floats your boat. Bad
Loss of time-Now I have no time to enjoy life. Awesome.Unnecessary stress-To top off all my homework, extracurriculars, volunteering, I need to study for a mega-test by studying a book from cover to cover and taking alternate forms of a mock test to ensure a passing grade on my Advanced Placement exam in May. Fantabulous. And really, why stress yourself out if you're going to have that stress anyway when you get to college?Lack of Sleep-My heart goes out to those people who are drowned in their own work piles. Fear not, for you are not alone! AP courses literally keep me up into the late hours of the night. I'm lucky if I can get six hours in.Did I mention stress? Yeah I think I did. Well you know what? It deserves to be on here twice!Crazy Teachers- Hmm...maybe I have to rethink this one. It's not the actual teacher who is genuinely crazy, but you see, AP makes teachers crazy because they start this mass cramming thing and it really gets on my nerves, especially when a teacher assigns two chapters on Friday to study over the weekend and gives a test the following Monday. What's up with that?College Prep My Butt-They say they prepare us for college, but quite frankly there's no preparation because a college class is totally different. So what's the point in taking AP if the environment is really like a regular class?Stress. (Yes, a third time will suffice.)So I think I've come to a conclusion that although AP Classes are a real pain in the butt, I think I can maul through personal bumps in the road to get to the destination. In other words, I'll take these classes, yeah maybe bang my head against the wall a few times, but in the end, at least I'll get my college credit.
Fellow person-who-has-taken-or-are-taking-AP-classes-and-feel-my-undying-pain, what's your viewpoint on the situation? Are AP classes worth it? Any other things you'd like to add to the list?
I disagree with your point of them being useless for college. I took an AP Literature class in high school and now that I am in college it is helping me a lot. Before taking that class I had trouble with writing essays, but now I can knock out a four page essay in one hour!
ReplyDeleteAlso, I would like to add to the positives of an AP class by saying that in some(not all) AP classes you learn some very interesting material. Like in an AP psychology class!
Yes they can be fun and yes AP Psychology is a gem and one of my favorite classes when I was in high school, but most AP classes aren't like that. Like AP Chemistry for an example.
DeleteBut yes, you do have a point that they help in college material-wise, but I was referring to the environment of the class. It didn't feel like a college course to me.
Great insight! I'll add the fun factor to the list, it seems legitimate. :)