For those entering high school, they are challenged with the idea of whether they should take an AP class or not. But the real question is, what is an AP class? AP stands for Advanced Placement. Essentially, it is a college-level class where you learn the topic all year and when May hits, you take an exam.

The word advanced could cause a lot of worry in students wanting to take these harder classes, but it isn’t as bad as you think. In the words of senior Grace Friedman, “Taking an easy schedule combined with AP’s, I don’t have much stress.” So AP classes can be your challenge in school without causing stress. 

Another question that might arise when thinking about taking this type of class is, what’s the point? One purpose of taking these classes is to give yourself a challenge and grow your academic skills. But another point of the classes is to prepare for college.

Zoe Stascausky says that the classes she’s taking are, “Areas of study that I hope to build upon in college,” which alludes that these classes can give a base for any future college class.

A major bonus of taking AP classes is the GPA boost it gives. This means that the grade you get in the class is weighted differently on your transcript. This can be beneficial when applying to colleges because you will be able to present a strong schedule along with a high GPA.

For the most part, students are getting the challenge and the education that they want from these AP classes although there are some things that they don’t have time for. In May, all AP classes have a test to be taken and the entire year you prepare for it. Sasha Nagy says that she does “wish that there was more preparation for the test” but overall the classes teach you the topic. 

If you are looking for a challenge and a great way to prepare yourself for college and any future education AP classes are a great way to do that. While they may come with a bit of extra work, they don’t add too much stress to your school schedule.