During high school, most students who are serious about their education will take at least one Advanced Placement class. This is because AP classes can boost students’ weighted grade point averages and are recognized as harder courses, making the student more appealing to colleges. However, much of the time students who are trying to get into very competitive schools might take numerous AP classes, even as many as two or three in a semester. The question that should be addressed is whether this is actually the best path for students to take in order to achieve higher academic standard. Often kids will take a class just because it is counted as an AP and not because they have an interest in the class or want to pursue the subject during college. This is okay in moderation in order to prove their intellectual capacities and ability to complete rigorous classes. However, the goal for high schools shouldn’t be to have the most desirable graduating students for colleges and universities but instead to have students who are most prepared for life after high school and are smarter than the common person.

AP classes usually require a lot more work than general and honors classes. This is one of the reasons why colleges like to see students take a few of them. However, there is a point where the extra work involved in the classes can do more damage than good. For example, the extra work someone might do in an AP class can distract them from forming new interests that could possibly turn into a career they would enjoy and be good at. This is why even though AP classes are good in small doses; they shouldn’t be seen as something students need to do in bulk if they are going to be successful.

Some students may take AP classes so they can take the AP test and place out of courses at colleges or possibly skip freshman year. According to marketplace.org colleges aren’t accepting AP credits as much as they used to (http://www.marketplace.org/2013/02/20/education/more-colleges-stop-giving-credit-ap-exams).

This means that the students who do well on AP tests no longer get exempt from that class and still have to take the course during college.

AP classes are obviously a good idea and should definitely be kept around due to the preparation they give students. However, the emphasis on them needs to be tempered so students also take classes that interest them instead of doing lots of unnecessary work for classes they may not be interested in just to look more appealing to colleges.