Cause and Effect

Cause and Effect

            In many students’ opinions, high school is a time of great importance and the ability to absorb any and all knowledge possible is quite dire. Colleges – namely Universities – look for the best, and weed out the applicants that just don’t seem to come up to par. Because of this, high school students feel the need to excel at what they do, and to take as many AP courses as they can handle – or so they think.

            The group of students who yearn to learn more, and to be accepted into every college to which they apply – or at least to their top choice –do not just sit around, slack off, and glide their way through high school without a care in the world. These students work hard. They take AP courses, spend their time with extracurricular activities, and do everything in their power to make sure their application will stand out on judgment day.

            Students spend many a sleepless night studying and trying to complete at least half of the homework assignments they were assigned that day. It is a constant struggle, and a difficult balance. The extracurricular activities may just be the breaking point of such a balance, but they are necessary to add something more to the college application, so students do not dare to quit them. Some however, do their extracurriculars out of love for the sport, art, activity, etc but are still just as pressured and stressed with the piles of schoolwork added to the hours of daily practice.

            AP courses hold true to the title of “Advanced Placement.” There is an almost guaranteed load of an hour or more of homework in each class, often amounting to several hours of sitting in front of computers and textbooks each night. Sleep becomes irrelevant, and highschoolers often go with almost none. Some sleep for three hours. The lucky ones get five or six hours. Maybe.

            Students put so much pressure on themselves that stress becomes a huge issue in and of itself. They lack sleep, and are much more prone to getting sick, because of the low immunity systems that result. The more days one is sick, the more days they are forced to missed school, and the further and further they fall behind in the quick moving AP courses. It is very difficult to catch up in these, especially when more than one AP class is being taken at a time. The student’s grades may fall for a short while, causing more stress, more extra hours studying and completing homework – or at least attempting to – and thus, the cycle repeats itself again and again. It is like falling into an endless pit; it goes on and on.

            The only saving grace of the immense workload given is that the grades are weighted. An “A” is worth five points instead of four points; a “B” is worth four points instead of three; and a “C” is worth three points instead of two points. That being said, AP courses are many times harder than regular College Prep courses, and it takes a much larger amount of effort to earn an “A” in them.

            Often times, the only break students are given is during summer vacation. There are piles of homework to be done over the weekends, and often times during Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Spring Breaks. It is a constant cycle of work, and there is hardly any time to relax and recuperate from so much stress and so many long hours of work that it only causes more stress and pressure. Without breaks, students are not able to recover as quickly when they fall ill, or get a sufficient amount of sleep, even on the weekends.

            Students do, however, reap the benefits of learning time management skills while they are in high school rather than while they are in college. With so much work, they are forced to manage their time to be able to get any of their work done. Procrastinating is much more detrimental in AP courses. Therefore, they gain better study habits to better prepare them for college, through which there will never be enough time to study.

            Colleges look at the students who take AP courses as more focused and dedicated, and during a time when it is extremely competitive to apply and get accepted into top Universities, every extra point on one’s Grade Point Average (GPA) counts. Those who take AP classes are indeed held to a higher standard, and asked to set and raise the bar constantly. Thus, they are also the one’s who are looked at more seriously by college admission boards – as long as one is earning high grades in such courses – and more likely to get accepted into the schools of their choice.

            One of the most substantial benefits to taking AP classes is that through passing the AP test for each AP class taken, one may receive college credits for that course. This allows them to not have to take that class altogether, or to at least not have to take as much time on said classes. This allows for more free time, or time to take additional classes, such as electives or classes working toward one’s chosen major or minor.  Through taken these AP classes, students are able to do more in a shorter amount of time.

So the big pay off for all of the work? They might, just might, get accepted to their top choice of college in this highly competitive time, and if they do get accepted into college, they won’t have to take the courses that they passed on the AP test. Is it worth it though, with all of the stress and pressure, with the lack of free time, with the intense loads of homework each night, and with the almost inevitable weaker immune system?  I, and many other AP students think so. Through taking AP classes comes a stronger sense of self, a better appreciation of time management, better preparation for college, and a better chance in getting accepted to colleges. If the price one has to pay is merely a few missed parties and a lack of sleep, then count me in.