Caileigh Winslade 
AP Week is coming up in just a few weeks, and high school students everywhere are busy preparing.
For those unfamiliar, AP stands for Advanced Placement. Run by the College Board (you know, the same people who run the PSAT/SAT tests), it’s a program of advanced classes that lets you experience college life early. Depending on what your high school offers, these classes can cover every genre of education — math, science, music, art, writing, you name it. At the end of the year, students take AP tests to showcase what they’ve learned, and depending on the score, gain college credit so they are placed in more advanced classes early on in college.
The College Board recently reported that Illinois is the leading state in AP test scores, having the largest percentage increase of students who got credit earning scores (a three or higher) between 2012 and 2022. An impressive number of 36,240 graduates in Illinois earned a three or higher last year. All were eligible to earn college credit at any Illinois public colleges.
Of course, the promise of being able to skip introductory classes in college is enticing. It saves time, energy, and money. But AP classes are also often stressful and can stack up work quickly in high school. Some classes are even being banned, like AP African American Studies in Florida, and Gov. DeSantis has talked of removing the AP program entirely.
But what do students think?
Talia Fidler is a student who’s very familiar with the AP world. She took six AP classes in high school spanning from AP World History to AP 2D Art. Now, she’s a freshman at Ringling College of Art and Design studying animation. Fidler did earn college credit for all the AP classes she took, which in turn let her skip several required college classes. She said this saved her money, “probably thousands of dollars.”
In terms of preparing for college, Fidler said that her AP courses were vastly different in structure from her college ones. “The expectations for high school classes rely heavily on constant homework, and while college classes do have a decent amount, the classes focus primarily on lectures,” she said. Fidler added that in college, especially with large lectures, “You receive much less one-on-one help.”
While AP classes might not be a mirror of a college class, they still teach you valuable skills, according to Fidler. They taught her how to write essays and how to prepare for high-level exams. She also said she gained a more in-depth knowledge of history or natural science in her AP classes.
AP classes, however, still had some issues.
Fidler said, “AP classes were the most challenging classes I took in high school, and I did feel burnt out by them on several occasions. It’s a slog if you aren’t interested in the subject.”
If you take many different AP classes, work can pile up easily, and it can feel like a race against the clock. Fidler recommended that if you choose AP, choose the subjects you’re already interested in, or with teachers you know are engaging. Otherwise, it can be hard to focus, and you fall behind quickly.
Overall, though, Fidler said she’d recommend taking AP classes because of how it now benefits her in college. They saved her both money and time, allowing her to focus on things she enjoyed outside of the classroom while still keeping up with work.
“For your most difficult semesters or any semesters of college you work or play sports, taking less classes can be the difference between passing and failing.”
The consensus? AP classes can be tough in high school. But, they also help you later on down the line. It’s best to take AP courses you know you’ll enjoy, and make sure to prioritize what you really want.
By Caileigh Winslade, Senior, ChiArts
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