Described as “Death itself,” students have been discouraged from enrolling in Advanced Placement (AP) courses, viewing these rigorous and difficult courses as simply “unattainable.”

   Known to prepare students for university, AP courses have built a reputation to be taken with caution, with the expectation of late nights and lots of coffee. However, with the right attitude and motivation, AP courses can be a tremendous opportunity for a student to prepare and receive credit for college courses by challenging themselves. That is if the student can survive the challenge.

   Here are a few steps to aid in the survival of an AP course:

Be Prepared. From kindergarten through the end of college, every teacher reiterates the idea that all students need to come to class prepared. Even if that entails something as simple as a pencil, students need to be ready for anything, especially in an AP course.

   An AP course forces students to spend their summers preparing for dreaded September, including such assignments of reading novels, analyzing scientific literature, completing math work, or looking over other coursework.

   A few classes offered can help prepare a student for an AP class, including Advanced Honors (AH) English. AH English 2 teacher, Mr. Fulton, explains how by focusing on expectations in an AP class, such as “synthesizing events outside the classroom with the coursework, reiterating MLA procedure, and high level thinking, students leaving his classroom are more prepared to face what is expected of them in the future.”

  Realizing and accepting the expectations, along with learning how to meet those expectations, are what lead to the needed preparation in order to succeed in an AP course.

   Remain Calm. Junior Manal Desai, currently enrolled in four AP courses, describes how “Stress is high in AP classes, however the stress negatively impacts your grades.” Stress leads not only to a decline of one’s health, but of one’s successes.

   The rigor of an AP course is not to kill students with stress, but to “build independence.” Although it seems impossible at times, students should focus on what they are able to learn from each class, not focus on the anxiety of the next test grade.

   To reduce stress, students can attempt discussing troublesome topics with their teachers, therefore reducing anxiety shrouding a subject, and learn in the process. A student could also consider only enrolling in AP courses they are passionate about, for as each student would therefore remain entirely invested in each class and excited to attend each day.

   Stay Motivated.  Students deciding to enroll in AP courses need to embody certain character traits, one of the most important in order for success being inherent motivation.

  AP Environmental Science teacher, Mr. Miller, describes the ideal AP student as “Independent, self motivating, and able to recognize what they need to learn, but unafraid to ask for assistance.”  Without remaining fundamentally motivated, AP students would be unable to succeed, as they would not care enough to ask for help if needed or learn the independence required for success.

AP Language and Composition teacher, Mrs. Leason, looks for her students to “contain a fundamental willingness to learn and make mistakes, to be self motivated, remain entirely invested in their education, and to thrive on an open mind.”  To succeed in AP courses, these traits remain vital as AP classes require complete concentration and investment.

TIPS TO SURVIVE:

Don’t take AP classes you won’t enjoy – if you don’t have the passion, you’re less likely to work hard in that class. -Mia Prowisor ‘20

Pay attention during class! If you spend 75% of your study time teaching yourself what your teacher already explained when you were playing games on your iPad, you’re going to struggle on tests. – T.J. Rickey ‘20

Try as hard as you can, but realize that not everything will come easily, and not every test is worth getting three hours of sleep over. AP is hard, but it’s a worthwhile choice for a challenge and +10 points in PowerSchool. Just don’t die. – Luke Magette ‘20

Do your homework! 50% of your studying in a typical AP class is learning from the work you do outside of school assigned by the teacher. AP classes will not slow down and tests often come fast, so take advantage of the work you’re assigned in a short time frame! – Lucas Prince ‘20

AP is a learning process. Every teacher prefaces the year with this, but things will not come easy at first. If you feel like you are drowning in the beginning, know everyone else felt that way. Sometimes, you need to let a bad essay or a failed test go. Have faith in the process. Your grade is not your worth. – Shreya Gowda ‘19