Take All The AP Classes!

Hello!

               So very recently at my school we had to sign up for our classes for next year. And this year is no different from every other year, where they beg us to take as many of the advanced classes as we can. They tell us that if they’re too hard, we can always drop down a level to the more basic classes. I’ve found quite a few problems with that whole system of thought. So this blog is going to try to explain them, but it might end up being a tad bit rant-ish. If you’re not a fan, get out now. (While you still can.)

               The first problem that I found was that if everyone’s awesome, no one is awesome. What that really means is that if everyone takes AP classes, they don’t really mean that much anymore – they become the standard, the “bar” that everyone has to meet. And since our school is pushing everyone to take as many AP classes as they possibly can fit into the seven hour day, that’s what it’s moving towards. And since the grading scale for AP classes is weighted, it makes it even more difficult for kids that don’t take AP classes to get to the top of their class.

               The second problem that I’ve seen with making kids take AP classes is that they’re pretty hard. I mean, I’m not an expert, that’s for sure. But I’ve a few AP classes in my first two years of high school, and I’m taking three this year. Although while you’re taking them they don’t really seem that hard, they’re definitely not easy – especially when compared to non-AP classes. So making kids take hard classes that they might not be prepared for would definitely be detrimental to their GPA, and therefore their chances of getting into a good college.

               This brings me to my next point – making us take AP classes seems like it isn’t for our benefit, but for the benefit of our school. Yeah, it makes the school look pretty nice that they have the highest number of kids taking AP classes in the state, but it doesn’t take into account the kids that are failing because they’re taking classes that are above their level.

               So in conclusion, taking AP classes is nice, but brainwashing kids into thinking that they should take as many AP classes as possible is a bad thing. It would definitely hurt them in the long run.