The Lincoln Log

Advanced Placement (AP) classes are an overachiever’s paradise, and unfortunately the necessary step between students and an overrated college. AP classes are essentially a way for colleges to see how well students manage the difficulties of these classes. However, in reality, AP classes have students in a mad rush to cram so much information into their minds that there is rarely time to have deep, thought provoking discussions over the information being lectured on, and more

importantly the classes deprive students of sleep.

For example, in AP U.S. History, students are bombarded with history. They are expected to memorize all the information provided in order to do well. No matter how well a teacher teaches, it is impossible for them to force students to read the vast amount of information provided. Due to this, students are on their own in terms of understanding and memorizing the information. Yet, when taking on several other difficult classes, it can be a daunting task.

The student who decides to take an AP course is told beforehand that they will be given a large amount of work. This may seem incentive enough to not take the class, but students with parents who demand them to excel are forced to take them. Unfortunately, this has caused a miniature epidemic among schools, where students are having nervous breakdowns from the amount of workthey must do in order to excel. Some are even pushed to do the immoral, from cheating to plagiarizing, not only to get ahead but also to please everyone else but themselves. Furthermore, students devote much of their time to school, and “all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy,” meaning such a heavy workload limits students opportunities to get involved in school, or can be so draining that students might not want to try at all.

I believe that AP classes are no more help than the standard classes. This is because the way that most AP classes run, teachers throw information at the students, and the students are expected to understand and memorize it all. This in effect causes most of the stress students currently are under, and even if they do manage to survive, students still need to cram for the AP test in May, and on top of the myriad of other courses that will need their attention, it seems an impossible task. An overall solution to this problem is to eliminate AP classes in all high schools. To make this work all schools must be in compliance, because if one school keeps it then it would be unfair for the other schools.

Therefore, school and college boards need to reassess the importance of AP classes, and re-examine their effects on a student’s psyche. These classes are mentally and physically draining. The school and college boards must understand that they are damaging students by forcing them to work beyond their limits. College level classes should remain in college because life is all about balance, and AP classes just add to that tilting scale of a teenager’s already unbalanced life.