Are AP classes being shoved down your throat?

deadgiveaway
Sun, 26 Nov 2006 22:42:05 +0000

Sadly, education and schooling are slowly being changed so that students will be more advanced. Even at the kindergarten and first-grade levels, there is an emphasis on preparing students so that they could be academically successful.

Success is, of course, highly subjective. These days, having a load of AP classes may equal success for many. A significant reason for that is students’ natural competitiveness and desire to do better than their peers, and of course the need to have something to present to the colleges for admission evaluation.

Honestly, if AP courses was not a criteria for college acceptance, I would still want to take some AP classes, particularly English. AP courses generally consist of students who are more challenged, who actually have the desire to work rather than to fool around, and that is the learning environment I prefer to be in. However, AP Calculus AB is one of my current classes - if this was not a class that sort of looks impressive to colleges, I would wait until I’m in college to take it. It is safe to say that I am not doing well at all in this class, and it is pretty unfortunate and ironic that I am in a class that I am not fully ready for and therefore am suffering, just because I felt pressure to take it. Yes, I did think something along the lines of “so many people are taking this class… if I don’t, that will make me look bad.”

Also, I admit that having a course load that consists of a few AP classes gives my ego a boost. Running the risk of sounding arrogant, I consider myself an individual of higher thinking, so I would not be satisfied with just taking all regular courses.