Going to college on a high school campus

I have no social life. Because I’m in AP World History right now, doing anywhere from one to three hours of homework per night is typical. Right now, you’re probably wondering, “Why is she doing that to herself? If she knows she works slowly, why take a course with that much work?” The answer: college credit.

Don’t get me wrong, I like AP World. I’ve always been somewhat of a nerd. Okay, disclaimer, I’m actually a complete nerd, and I love history. But the fact AP World can count for college credit was the tipping point in my decision to sign up for the demanding class.

The College Board offers a total of 34 AP (advanced placement) classes for college credit. According to the College Board’s website, most four- year colleges in the United States give
students credit and/or advanced placement based on their AP exam scores. At many schools a score of three or higher will merit some type of benefit.

AP classes are supposed to be comparable to college courses in the difficulty of the work. In light of the upcoming exams in May, some students and teachers are raising questions as to whether AP classes actually cover the same material as college classes. Because of this, these people argue AP courses shouldn’t count for college credit.

AP tests are designed to make sure college level material is learned, so there’s no reason for students who pass the tests not to get college credit. If students using AP credits for college do not know the material as well as their peers who took the college class, then the tests should better reflect the difficulty of the course. But the College Board doing away with AP classes would not be fair to students who want to work hard and genuinely enjoy learning the material.

Taking just one AP class can save students thousands of dollars in college fees. Without AP classes, students ready for college courses would learn the material in other advanced classes in high school. If no college credit is given for AP courses, then students who take advanced courses in high school would have to re-learn material in college.

Of course, there will always be students who don’t pass AP exams. While this is a waste of students’ time and money, it’s no fault of the College Board. It’s the equivalent of failing the final exam in a college course and prepares students for real life failures like getting rejected for a job.

All 16 AP classes offered by KHS are designed to be hard. And sometimes I fantasize about quitting AP World and filling that extra hour or so with every night with another few episodes of The Bold and the Beautiful. But I don’t. Why? College credit.