Ah…the classic terrifying decision whether to take an AP or not. All these conversations you overhear in the hallway, all those upperclassman traumatizing you with their stress, and all these thoughts about failing at life if you don’t take at least 3 AP’s junior year.

But the reality of things is that you will survive an AP class, and even better, you will pass with a good grade. All it takes in the end is effort and time.

What are AP’s you may ask: “AP, or Advanced Placement, Courses are college-level courses that a student can take in high school. The courses are more rigorous than high school courses since they are, in fact, college courses and students can receive college credit for taking the courses, although not all colleges grant students college credit for the courses.” (aboutparents.com)

The many benefits of taking an AP include:

• Grade weighting – Student’s GPA may not be harmed by taking a more challenging class since a “B” in an AP class counts as an “A.” (Remember this only goes for your weightedGPA.) So basically your B in APUSH would count as an A on your weighted GPA.
• College credit – Students may earn college credit for taking an AP class and scoring at least the cut off score on the AP exam. This could save you hundreds of dollars in college, and get you a head start on your college career.
• An advantage in college admissions – Students are more likely to be accepted into a college or university since most college admission committees seek out students who have challenged themselves in their high school career.
• An advantage in college readiness – The hard work in an AP class can definitely help you get a perspective on what a college course is like. The reading, the notes, and the homework will benefit you in adjusting to hard work instead of slacking all the time.

Next year the following AP classes will be available for Sahuaro student’s of 2016-2017:

• AP English Lang.
• AP English Lit.
• AP Statistics
• AP Calculus (AB)
• AP Calculus (BC)
• AP World History (1,2)
• AP US History (1,2)
• AP Government (1,2)
• AP Biology (1,2)
• AP Chemistry (1,2)
• AP Physics (1,2)
• AP Music Theory
• AP Psychology
• AP Art

Good luck Cougars! Remember to challenge yourself. Who knows, maybe you’ll love to learn about Andrew Jackson in APUSH, or find a new passion for Nathaniel Hawthorne’s books in AP English.