Giving up is not an option
November 21, 2019
What is the point of signing up for an Advanced Placement class if you think you would want to drop the class sometime in the future?
Advanced Placement imply that these are not classes needed in order to graduate high school. These are ones that students can choose to take in order to boost their academic career and further influence colleges to accept them.
Before applying to take an AP class, students are able to attend an informational meeting that allows them to understand exactly what they will be getting into. At this meeting, students learn what subjects they will be studying over the course of the school year, the workload for that class, and how it will transfer into college credit.
Teachers also explain that after getting into these AP classes, students will still have a chance to choose if they want their name down as a committed student by writing “yes” or “no” on their application sheet.
This period of time should be long enough for students to know if they actually want to commit to the class.
If students choose to take Advanced Placement classes already knowing the commitment that comes along with it, they should know what they are getting into.
At the informational meeting, teachers do tend to cover up the truth by mostly talking about the benefits that will come from taking an AP class. This can easily be resolved by talking to former students that have taken that AP course to get their opinion and advice on it.
Former students will be able to talk about what actually happens in the class, and since they were in the students’ shoes the previous year, their input on the class should help to prepare you for it.
As far as the stress and workload that comes with taking an AP class, this should be expected. A person who decides to take the class should already have an understanding that these are college-level classes with the amount of college-level coursework.
Although colleges would not be able to see that a student dropped out of an AP class at the beginning of the year, they would be able to at the end of the semester. With this knowledge, colleges could assume that the course has gotten too challenging for the student or that the student is no longer willing to put in the work required.
After going through all the energy to be able to take the class, students should not drop it without fully trying.
