Pre-College Hoax

Advanced Placement, or AP, classes are recommended for students that excel in normal high school level courses or students that are looking for a challenge as well as the opportunity for college credit and a pre-college experience. The opportunity of having AP classes is not available in all high schools but in the schools that they are offered, AP classes are pushed so much that many students feel obligated to take them. The truth is, while the idea of AP classes is well-intentioned, the classes are ultimately a pointless and exhausting experience for high school students.

                Maybe an expected attribute, AP classes are more difficult and have a greater homework load than normal classes. This may not be minded by some, but for others it is an overwhelming time burden that they cannot afford to take. I am currently enrolled in two AP classes that require around four hours of homework combined per night. With eight hours of school and an hour of extracurricular activities, I will spend about fourteen hours of my twenty-four hour day doing school related activities. If I factor in travel time, meals, etc., I am getting about seven hours of sleep every night. According to the National Sleep Foundation, teenagers need at least nine hours of sleep. I only have two AP classes and can infer that someone with more than two classes is getting even less sleep than I am.

            One reason that students take AP courses is for the pre-college experience. This experience however, is not an accurate representation of college because of the obvious difference in location, class time, and schedules. The average school day for college students may vary but is normally around five hours a day and a will usually consist of only one or two classes per day. So, even though high school students might be studying the same curriculum as college students, they end up having less time to learn the material and less time to study.

A second reason to take an AP course might be for the college credit earned in high school. While this is an excellent reason, AP courses do not actually ensure college credit. If a student does not pass the AP exam, the course does not transfer to college, and so, the hours spent on the class will be ultimately pointless because they will need to retake the same class again in college anyway. Even if a student does pass the exam, there is still a chance that their chosen college will not accept the credited course and will require them to retake it. Therefore, if a student wants to be sure that the credits transfer, they have to know what college they are going to before they even register for the course. This may be fine for seniors, but is a little more difficult for freshman.

Even though AP classes offer a definite challenge that may be enticing for some students, they actually take too much of a high school student’s time and are falsely advertised. Their sole purpose being to provide students with college credit and experience has been disproven and yet, students are still pressured to take the classes. I think AP classes are a bad idea for students in high school because they exceed the challenge level they should. I am not saying that students cannot meet the set level, only that they should not be required to do so. (574)