It’s that time of the year again when high school students are rushing to decide what classes to take next year, but how many Advanced Placement classes is too many? It seems like everyone I know is taking more than three Advanced Placement classes. Although AP classes provide a challenge for students, I believe that students should limit themselves when picking Advanced Placement classes.
Advanced Placement classes offer high school students courses that resemble college-level courses. High school students, who like to challenge themselves, think that in order to get into college they must take every AP class they can. Students get carried away when they see the list of classes available to them. It’s easy to see the name of a class on a piece of paper but to actually take into account the work of each class requires the student to actually plan out their year. Taking too many AP courses can cause a lack of sleep and exacerbate the stress that is already in the lives of many teenagers.
One of the disadvantages of taking many AP classes includes an extreme lack of sleep. Just taking one AP class can cause a student to be up late studying for big tests and quizzes. Therefore taking as many as 5 AP classes is almost like setting oneself up for failure. During the teenage years, sleep is crucial. According to www.sleepfoundation.org, teenagers need eight to 10 hours of sleep every night to help them handle some of the stresses of being a teenager. However, the study also found that only about 15 percent of teens are getting eight to 10 hours of sleep per night.
When a student signs up for an AP course, there’s a certain amount of stress they should expect. However, a problem arises when a student can’t recognize the stress and starts to burn-out. According to Huffington Post, in 2013 31 percent of teenagers reported that they felt overwhelmed as a result of their stress levels. Some of that stress likely stemmed from high school. Some students who are looking to go to a prestigious college also believe that unless they take the most challenging classes, including APs, they won’t get into college.
However, when Advanced Placement courses are taken in moderation they can benefit the student by helping them better prepare themselves for college by exposing them to a more rigorous class with a heavier workload. Advanced Placement courses also give students the freedom to pick which subjects they would like to challenge themselves in.
Students can be successful in taking Advanced Placement courses but they must know their personal limits and ensure that they do not take more than they can handle. Students should also make sure that they do not just take an AP class just because it is AP. They should have an interest in the subject of the class because if they do not then when the class gets tough it will be much harder. I believe that the number of AP classes a student takes should solely depend on what they can handle. However, even if a student has a strong interest in every AP they’re taking, it can still be a stressful time.
