Advanced Placement (AP) classes are a major topic of debate for students planning their future. The Panther Press interviewed a high schooler and college student to see if the extra stress is worth the effort.
Kangna Patel, a college student, believes the struggle pays off because the credits saved her thousands in tuition. She describes the credits as a “future you gift” that allowed her to skip introductory classes and save money.
By passing her exams, she skipped Freshman Composition and Intro to Psychology, leaving more room for electives.
However, high school student Arav Patel warns that this success comes with a heavy price. He mentioned that the workload is a constant “mountain of homework” that forces students to give up their social lives. Arav explained that AP classes aren’t just extra work. They are harder because you have to master the “why” and “how” behind every concept.
“I missed out on a lot of weekend hangouts,” Arav explained, noting that lab reports and studying took over his free time.
Both students agreed that the most important thing for a 7th grader to do is prepare early. Arav emphasizes that students must learn to manage their time before the work becomes overwhelming. He believes that even having a great teacher doesn’t make the class “easy” because the curriculum is so fast-paced.
“Start using a planner now,” Arav advised, stating that “chunking” big projects is the only way to survive the fast pace.
A common fear among students is the big exam at the end of the year. Kangna suggested that if someone hates high-stakes testing, they should look into Dual Enrollment instead. This lets students earn college credit locally without needing to pass a single high-stakes national exam in May.
“Rigor is what colleges care about most and the admissions officers would rather see a student try a hard class and get a ‘B’ than take an easy class just for an ‘A’,” Kangna stated.
In the end, the interviewees believe that AP classes are not just for straight-A students, but for anyone who wants a challenge. While the rewards of saving money and learning how to study are great, students must be ready to handle the pressure and avoid burning out.
