As a senior who has spent four years piling AP classes into my schedule, I have experienced both the benefits and the burnout. While AP classes have established a sense of “academic rigor” in my schedule, some have proved more enjoyable than others. After taking 15 APs – yes, 15! -I’ve gained a clear perspective on which classes have been the most useful and even interesting, as well as the experience to help future students plan their schedules.
Freshman Year, I took one AP class, United States Government and Politics, to ease my way into the high school environment. Looking back on this class now, I can definitely say that this was one of my favorite and most useful classes I have taken. “AP Gov,” as most Chamblee High School students call it, comprises five units, ranging from “Foundations of American Democracy” to “American Political Ideologies and Beliefs.” This class taught me the inner workings of our Nation’s government and encouraged me to pay more attention to current events. I would also like to say that this class was the spark that ignited my later interest in Public Policy (my current major).
Helping me develop my research and writing skills, AP Seminar is one of the most valuable classes I have found during my time at Chamblee. Part of the two-year AP Capstone Diploma Program, AP Seminar is the introductory class taken before AP Research. I took this class in my sophomore year and learned how to find credible sources, write a research paper, and present my findings.
In my junior year, I took AP Research and designed my own research paper on a question of my choosing. The combination of AP Research and AP Seminar grew my interest in academic writing and research, which I hope to pursue later in college.
However, the most useful aspect of AP Research and AP Seminar is that they can replace an English credit necessary for graduation. Students who choose to do this can take another class of their choosing instead of an additional English course.
Alongside classes taken in my junior year, AP United States History was not only one of my favorite AP courses but was also accepted for college credit at most institutions. The material is complex and thorough, as students must remember the names of certain bills, people, and dates, but it is worth the challenge to earn exemption from a future college class.
As a senior, I am currently taking a few AP classes, including AP Calculus AB. Since I am pursuing a humanities major and am usually numerically challenged, I am happy to take this class and hopefully receive credit for a future an intro college math course. Once again, AP Calculus AB and BC are some of the easiest classes to receive credit for. Most U.S. institutions will take credit for 3 or 4, with some competitive institutions requiring a 5.
After four years and 15 AP classes, I am ready for the stress and panic of AP classes to end. Despite this, I can conclude that the classes that I found the most useful not only provided me with college credit but also opened my eyes to new interests and areas of study. As students stack their schedule, they should consider each class’s usefulness in all aspects and how it will affect them in the future.
