The difference between an AP class and a regular class can be the difference between one hour of studying and two hours of studying…or three hours of studying. Or, if it’s finals week….well, some AP students just surrender all free time and buy stock in Red Bull.

But is it really worth it? Some students slave over their laptops for an AP or honors class and barely get a B. Meanwhile their classmates in regular classes, assigned a more manageable workload, are rewarded with an A. Regular classes do not necessarily cover less difficult material, but the material is presented at a slower pace. Students have more time to completely grasp the concepts, and better comprehension may yield better grades. Furthermore, because less material is presented each day, students in regular classes have less homework to do.

The answer is balance. Colleges don’t want students to finish their work quickly and easily; nor do they want students to spend every minute until bedtime studying. According to the College Board, colleges look for students whose transcripts grow more rigorous each year. A student does not have to begin high school taking the hardest classes available, but each year a student should try to break out of his or her comfort zone.  

Katie Randa MacCrea, a college counselor at Bolles, said,“While some colleges will look just at a student’s GPA in their selection process, more and more colleges are paying attention to the curriculum a student has embraced in high school.” Take an art class, if you’ve never picked up a paintbrush before. Sign up for that AP Spanish class – it might be the first step in a journey towards becoming a translator, or even the US Ambassador to Spain!   

AP and honors courses don’t exist just to create more work for students. Rather, they offer a more comprehensive presentation on a particular subject. As the student studies the subject in depth, his glimmer of interest turns into a spark. Randa MacCrea continued, “Students should think about their overall workload, their expected commitment to the particular course, and their hopes for what courses they might take in the future before deciding to take a regular, honors, or AP course. Advisors and college counselors are here to help students make these decisions, as no one decision is the right for every student.”  

Remember: the goal isn’t to take all AP classes. High school is a time of discovery. At Bolles we are lucky enough to be offered a wide range of classes; from computers to ballet. We should take advantage of our environment and explore new ways to learn. A student who hates math may take AP Calculus, surrounded by students who are passionate about math and who motivate the math-hater to embrace theorems.

So take a moment before filling out your schedule for next year. Don’t focus on whether or not you can make an A in a particular class. Consider what the subject matter means to you, and if you’d be okay learning at a quicker pace if it meant learning more of what you love.