Are AP Classes Worth it?

Studying for success! // Scattered in the picture, math assignments are arranged across a table in preparation for an AP Precalculus unit test. This class is not just an easy and free college credit; It requires hard work and discipline to be in an AP class. (Photo by McKenzie Smoot)

As classes begin, you start realizing people around you are taking many advanced placement classes, and you start to wonder, “Am I falling behind?” You turn to the person next to you and they tell you that their whole schedule is AP courses, which are classes that are built to simulate a college course, and at the end of the year, you take an exam to decide if you will earn college credit or not. In order to earn college credit, you must receive a 3, 4, or 5 on the AP exam for the class you take. You start to worry if you're falling behind and begin to email your counselor to see if you can take these more advanced classes, but first, you should consider the pros and cons of taking these classes.

“I do not think AP classes are worth the stress, because whatever you choose for your occupation you can always achieve no matter the APs you take, and some colleges might not even use the credit from the class. Plus the APs may take a chunk of time away from free time with family and friends, what truly matters,” Raelene, 10 said.

This sparks the idea that AP classes may not be worth the work and stress. Imagine taking a tough AP class and the AP exam, yet your dream college doesn’t even accept the credit. Even if the credit counts, are you truly getting anything useful out of the class, or just memorizing random facts? Still, certain classes may be beneficial to develop necessary life skills.

“Advanced placement courses are designed to be more rigorous than typical high school classes, giving students a taste of college-level coursework,” The National Society of High School Scholars states. “This can help students prepare for the demands of college and improve their chances of success,” 

This emphasizes the beneficial effects that AP classes offer. They can enhance life skills like time management, critical thinking, and problem-solving by applying structured systems of thinking to analyze problems, sparking debates, and creating group work to explore diverse perspectives. Why wouldn’t you want to start improving your skills before you even reach college? AP classes are an effective way of doing so. Nonetheless, many people are not ready for AP classes, which can lead to burnout if you try to stack classes and only focus on boosting your transcript. 

“The current study also found that participants who had taken AP classes in high school reported higher levels of burnout during college,” The Journal of Integrated Social Sciences said.

Therefore, AP classes can intensify burnout from a younger age, so by the time a student reaches college or beyond, they could be drained. This leads to many issues in the long run, which leads to the idea that AP classes really aren’t worth the work and stress. On the contrary, students will take AP classes so they can make college easier and receive college credit for a fraction of the price of actually going to college.

“When you successfully complete an AP course while still in high school, you earn college credits to put toward your degree. That means you could have a lighter workload to manage in college. This is important since college courses are more demanding than a typical high school course,” according to Holston Academy.

Despite AP courses being lots of work compared to regular high school courses, they can be easier than college classes, which is a significant benefit. Rather than being stressed in college, students should take advantage of AP classes to make their college experience more enjoyable.

So are AP classes worth it to you? AP courses can give students a challenge while building necessary life skills, all while earning college credit and making their college experience a little more pleasant. Conversely, AP classes can lead to burnout amongst students due to the harsh and demanding class format. Additionally, you can do all the work and earn the college credit, but some colleges might not even accept the credit. Before you start to adjust your schedule, take a second to weigh the pros and cons, do your research to see if the college you are aiming for will take the credits, and pick the classes that are worth it to you.