Study sessions before and after school. PTSD from DBQs and LEQs. Playlists dedicated to Crash Course videos. Every student who takes Advanced Placement courses understands the dedication and hard work that must be carried out everyday in order to be successful. Yorba Linda High School offers 21 different Advanced Placement courses for students to take throughout their high school career. Those 21 classes vary from AP United States History, AP Calculus AB/ BC, and AP Studio Art. Although AP classes take long hours of studying and may be stressful at times, students should consider taking at least one of these challenging courses throughout their high school experience.

According to Collegeboard, 2.7 million students are expected to take around 5 million AP tests in May. Every year, students throughout the United States must take an AP test in May to determine eligibility for college credit. On the same note, students should consider taking an AP class due to possible college credits. To clarify, by passing the AP test with either a three or above, high school students are able to skip those classes in college which consequently reduces years till graduation. Especially since college can get pretty expensive and hectic, taking care of a couple of college credits is ideal. Not only does AP credits decrease the amount of years required at a university, but it also looks good for college application. It is a known fact that college admission officers determine a student’s acceptance through a variety of factors including grades, extracurriculars, and standardized test scores. Of those factors, college admission officers also consider the difficulty of each course. As a result, students who have challenged themselves with harder classes will be looked upon more fondly. Not only in college, but taking AP classes will prepare students for other courses in high school and future jobs/careers. Coco Xiu (12), for one, “learned how to study efficiently in a short period of time.” Necessary life skills such as proper studying methods and organization is a key component of taking on an AP class. Finally, there is always a sense of satisfaction in completing an AP class. Much like finishing a marathon or concluding a four page essay, graduating from an AP class is a notable achievement.

Without a doubt, there are benefits to taking Advanced Placement classes during high school. Although, at times the long hours of studying and piles of homework may seem overwhelming, in the end, Advanced Placement classes are worthwhile.