Opinion: Pros and cons of Advanced Placement

The material of AP classes sometimes feels out of place to the curriculum they will need to advance in their high school career, but AP classes in general provide a great opportunity for students looking for future success in college. AP (advanced placement) classes, are offered at most high schools across the country. These classes are often more challenging intellectually and take more time dedication for students to keep up. Mr. Martinez, the AP European History teacher, says that “AP classes are very important for students who want to go on to college; it prepares them for the workload and discipline.” In these AP classes, students often have the opportunity to take a final exam in order to gain some sort of credit in their future college career.  This is one of the many reasons why AP classes are a great resource for college-bound students to put themselves ahead. AP classes offered at Carter High School begin at 9th grade with AP Human Geography. In this class, one learns about geography, population, agriculture, etc. The alternative to the course is the regular placement World History class. Many students have argued that the World History class would be more beneficial in future classes to provide background information. For example, the next line of AP classes are AP Government and AP European History. Therefore, a more history-oriented class, like World History, would prepare students better for future classes than a geography oriented class, like Human Geography. Overall, there are flaws with the material choices for AP classes; however, going through a college level class will prepare students for college and provide a great experience either way.