By: Julia Allegro
The class of 2025 is the first class at CTK with AP (Advanced Placement) graduates. Students were newly brought into an advanced system and expected to go along with all the bumps and rough patches a new system will inevitably face. I am an AP student in the class of 2025 and want to express my insider emotions on the positive and negative impacts of AP while discussing my experience and thoughts on the arrangement thus far.
When asked ‘good or bad news?’ I tend to say ‘bad news’ first so I can be left on a good note. I have had one full year of experience with AP courses. I took AP math, science and English last year (along with this year)... and had them all in the same semester. It was a big commitment to stay on top of my work, it felt like it was consuming my life. Second semester last year was my real first high school semester experience because of COVID cohorting. It was a lot to say the least. Usually, every night I had 2-5 hours of homework, depending on the day, give or take. Given the name, the content I was studying was advanced to my age group and a lot of it was completely new to me, which was quite intimidating going into. In an AP classroom there is everyone who was ‘ahead of their class’ in elementary school. Therefore it often feels like a competitive and high expecting environment. I am glad none of my AP classes were in quads, so much expected of you in so little time… I don’t want to imagine the stress. There was a point last year where I felt like those classes were completely taking over me, to the point I was having weird dreams and was anxious about them all the time. I couldn’t even find solace in sleep. Finals were a crazy time (without exams) but it was kind of a blur for me to be honest, I was so mentally overworked I almost didn’t care how they turned out. I experienced some level of burn out during that time and going into summer, I just wanted to stay home and rest. I did some camps and volunteer work in early July, so I had a week off in between camps and school. I slowed down that week but still remember feeling anxious starting my summer work knowing that I was starting another routine and I guess it reminded my body of school, though I knew it was not. My semester situation was bad luck and bad timing with COVID groupings, it was an accident. Thankfully this year my courses were more broken up, but I still know multiple people with over half their semester filled with advanced courses. My advice to you is to ensure that your schedule is balanced (my talking to your Guidance Counselor), above all, take time for you and your mental health. Don’t hesitate to reach out to a staff member at school if you’re feeling overwhelmed. I get the question ‘What's it like being an AP student?’ a lot, and truthfully, it is stressful and you are committing to a challenge. Though, personally I enjoy a challenge and with their lows, comes their highs.
I gained so many great experiences and knowledge from my AP classes. A big thing for me was learning to time manage, be organized, and take ownership of my school work. I feel like I have always been self-regulating, but it was strongly amplified during that time. I now know how to be productive when I need to be. Some productivity strategies of mine are to work in a distraction free environment (put your phone away). I like to have some sort of lyricless music in the background (ex. white noise, jazz, classical, lofi…etc) because it is relaxing but not distracting, but that is of course personal preference. Lists are my best friend, I have a master to-do list on my laptop/phone but you could probably find little sticky notes or reminders all over my work space. Though, I need to have a clean space to work in or I will not be productive (clean desk=clean mind). I have almost never preferred to study with friends. Realistically they are often distractions, unless I know we are all committedly working, I like to work alone. On the flip side, collaborating can be helpful in sharing different ideas and perspectives, it depends what I’m doing. Everyone has their own preferences and rhythm, you will find your path to productivity. You are always welcome to take inspiration from me, but never lean on or feel restricted to it.
Do you know how amazing it feels to put effort into something, do your homework, study, then receive great marks back on tests/assignments? That is often one of the most rewarding parts of AP, testing your limits and expanding your knowledge. I actually loved most of my AP courses and what I was learning, despite what you may think judging the last couple paragraphs. Imagine how much more rewarding it will be in an evenly balanced schedule! AP science was probably my favourite course last year. I loved my teacher, class, most of the content we were learning, and the overall environment. I always felt like I was learning and enjoying myself at the same time. I really enjoyed AP English as well; great teacher and class, I loved exploring new topics such as Shakespeare and poetry. They were both completely new to me and I ended up being quite pleased by them. AP math was the course that challenged me the most, I learned a lot from it and overall had a good time.
I am proud to say I am an AP student and although there can be challenges, a challenge always takes hard work and diligence. I hope this gives someone who wants to be academically tested inspiration to try something new and push themselves while also understanding the dedication that comes along with it.
Comments