As the school year begins, some students at Leesville are starting their first Advanced Placement (AP) courses, and are adjusting to the college-level coursework and rigor. At Leesville, students can choose from a variety of AP courses throughout high school. 

For students taking an AP course for the first time, the increased workload is one of the major differences from an honors or academic course. 

Mrs. Langlois, an AP Government and Politics teacher, said time management is one of the main adjustments she sees in first-time AP students. “I think some of it is time management, because there’s a greater workload, and definitely more studying involved as well.”. 

Writing can also be an adjustment for students who have never taken an AP course. Langlois said a student who has taken an AP course before “understands the expectations of the writing” whereas a student who has not taken an AP before may struggle and take longer to adjust to college-level writing. 

Ladie Tomas, a senior who has taken several AP courses, said, “I was scared when I first took my AP class”. Adjusting from academic and honors courses to AP courses challenged Ladie to rethink how she managed her time for studying. Since taking her first AP class, Ladie’s approach to them has changed. She said she has learned to not “do things really late, because you’ll be pushed behind, and you’ll be more pressured.” 

As students become more familiar with AP courses, the initial adjustments to the workload, studying, and writing expectations tend to become easier to manage.

Joy Wandah, staff writer