By Audrey Cabaltica
It’s no longer enough to just get straight A’s in high school to get into a good college. In my competitive high school, it’s normal to get A’s so students also typically take Advanced Placement (AP’s) classes.
AP’s are college level classes offered to high school students. The coursework is harder and taught faster with more homework than regular high school classes. After you take an AP class, you have to pass a three-hour test at the end of the year so most colleges will accept it as credit.
Taking a lot of AP’s in high school presumably shows academic rigor and can boost your Grade Point Average (GPA). Most high schools have a weighted grading system so AP classes are worth more points. Your GPA can actually go above an A or 4.0 if you do well in your AP’s.
My cousin in New York is entering college, so I asked him for advice. He asked me how many AP’s I was planning to take. I told him I was going to take my first one this year. My cousin cringed and said, “What? You’re only taking one? You should take at least 15!” He sounds like the kids in my school.
That means taking four AP’s a year when the average is one to two a year. I’m only planning to take a total of two AP’s in the last two years of high school, and only for subjects I’m interested in.
My friend Ashley plans to take a total of eight AP’s in high school (one in freshman year, three this junior year, and four in senior year). But her hired personal college counselor told her she wasn’t taking enough AP’s this year. Now, Ashley feels that she’s behind and will try to switch from regular U.S. History to AP U.S. History.
Not all schools offer AP classes. My cousin in NY has over 20 AP’s offered, while my school offers 17. This doesn’t seem like a lot to our school because there are 40 total AP’s. But my cousin’s school in Stockton only offers two AP’s.
With so many students in my school who want to take as many AP’s as possible, many self-study AP’s outside of school in addition to the AP’s they’re taking in school.
There’s intense pressure to stack up as many AP’s as you can in my school, so if you’re like me, who take regular high school level classes, you’re seen as shameful and lazy. AP students look down on me just because we don’t take 10+ AP’s.
Last year, I was the only one in my friend group who took grade level Geometry while they all took AP Calculus AB or AP Calculus BC, the highest math classes my school offers. Since everyone’s in advanced math, if you’re in Geometry they think you’re slow and dumb.
In history class, my seatmate turned to me for help with her history assignment. But first she asked, “What math are you in?” I told her I was in Geometry and she instantly said, “Never mind.” and turned away from me to ask someone else.
I always feel like I’m behind compared to my classmates, even though the classes I’m taking are standard for my grade. When my friends ask me what classes I plan to take, I’m embarrassed to tell them I’m only taking two AP’s. My oldest brother Lorenzo only took three AP’s in high school, a low number for my school. His friend took 20. That means taking five a year.
“I felt I was never doing enough,” Lorenzo said.
Students in my school are so focused on getting ahead that they’re not even taking classes they’re genuinely interested in. Instead, they’re suffering in boring AP’s just to keep up with everybody else, even if it means getting burnt out by the first semester of every school year.
Taking more AP’s doesn’t guarantee you’ll get into a better college. Also, not all colleges accept AP credit. My older brother George took three AP’s in high school, but only one was credited by his Jesuit college.
You should only take AP’s you’re interested in instead of just blindly signing up for as many as you can. Junior and senior year is when most students stack up on AP’s. Taking an AP in junior year and an AP in senior year is completely fine. Instead of focusing on stacking up AP’s, you can show colleges your strengths through things like extracurriculars, clubs, summer programs, or personal projects.
I’m not taking as many AP’s because I want to enjoy high school. I’m in Varsity field hockey, an opinion editor for my school newspaper, an officer of the Breakdance Club, and recently founded the Filipino-American Club. I’m also busy writing for BizNews Asia, studying for the ACT, and learning how to drive.
I love having time where I have nothing to do, where I can sleep in, watch a movie, play video games with my siblings. I wish I could hang out more often with my friends, but I can’t — because they’re taking too many AP’s.
Audrey is a teen journalist and an opinion editor of her school newspaper in Silicon Valley. She writes about trends, pop culture, media, and her experience as a Filipino-American.