Advanced placement level courses — or AP courses — are college-level courses that high school students can take for many different benefits.

AP classes can do the following for high school students:

• Earn college credits — by passing an AP course exam, students can be eligible for college credit, saving thousands in tuition.
• Prepare students for college-level courses by exposing them to the workload and pace at which the information is being presented to them. 
• Boost students’ GPAs through the weighted GPA scoring system.
• Qualify students for scholarships and make their college applications more competitive. 

Schools all over the country offer different AP classes to their students, and some are harder than others. 

The main challenge that comes with AP-level classes is the workload that they give students. The level of independent study, amount of reading, and higher-level assignments mirror what a college-level course may look like. 

Mary Bradley Dalton, junior, is currently enrolled in six AP classes for her junior year of high school. The two classes she is taking that are not AP-level are Honors Dance Ensemble, both semesters.

With students who take a numerous amount of AP-level courses like Dalton, the competition for college applications is higher, and the students’ drive to “be the best”.

Dalton said, “I think taking all these AP classes is worth it because I won’t have to take as many years of college thanks to the credits I’m earning.”

While competition is high among students, the difficulty varies from course to course. 

Lucian Eckhart, junior, has taken or enrolled for the future in 5 AP courses throughout his high school years. As of the first semester of his junior year, Eckhart is currently taking AP United States History (APUSH) and AP English Language and Composition.

Eckhart says, “Like most AP-level courses, APUSH is not incredibly difficult; it’s just a lot of work. I have at least an hour of homework every day.”

Overall, AP-level courses are great opportunities offered to students to develop critical skills and allow them to earn college credit, all while preparing them for college.