Students each year are faced with the daunting task of picking their future courses. However, extraordinarily little advice of experience is given to underclassmen considering the difficulty of some of the AP courses offered. Newsome students are naturally very opinionated on the teachers, curriculums and classes of Newsome’s distinct array of AP classes. Now, students take the lead by guiding the students on making intelligent decisions on their future. 

   Here’s a little disclaimer: not all courses are fit for everyone. While it is bold and looked fondly upon to take higher-level courses, the time and work ethic needed is not something that everyone will flourish with. A helpful source when deciphering the field of AP is the Exam Study Expert’s table of AP class reviews. The table ranks each AP class in three distinct categories of frustration: overall difficulty, time consumption and ease to study, and it is an excellent source for any student.

   Consider how valuable a course will be before mindlessly scribbling down an AP on the scheduling program sheet. Ask the Big Four questions; the more times an answer is yes, the better the course is! Will this be relevant towards the career or hobbies one will be pursuing? Is the subject something personally enjoyable? Will this course earn college credit hours (look on a college’s website to determine if this course would replace future college courses)? Is the workload manageable considering personal after-school activities or learning pace? 

   Nothing is worse than having an overwhelming course at school. Positive stressors are sometimes beneficial to be exposed to a college like setting, however, pick and choose the battles! School is meant to be a knowledge enriched environment that inspires students to learn. Be cautious of when anxiety affects everyday performance and compromises growth.

   If any subject of AP courses is most infamous, it would be the history classes. Known for difficult assignments and tedious measures, these courses are surrounded by an intense curriculum. Newsome has excellent teachers between each AP course that are dedicated to pushing their kids to get a five on the exam. Each class of Newsome has a level of AP history assigned to it, whether it is AP Human Geography for freshmen or AP United States History for the juniors, it is difficult to avoid an AP History while at Newsome. 

   30 Newsome students were interviewed about their favorite course they have ever taken at Newsome High School. Tied for first place, AP Psychology, AP Language and Composition, and AP Human Geography take the cake with four recommendations each. Each course requires a deep love for studying with excellent mentors and teachers to lead students to success. People find these courses a beneficial environment to associate themselves with. Consider these recommendations as the scheduling season arrives at Newsome!

  13 out of 30 students recommend AP classes, while 13 do not. AP class opposers claim that “they would rather do dual enrollment”. However, one bad grade in dual enrollment can set any student’s college GPA on the wrong track. Choosing whether an AP Course or Dual Enrollment is a personal decision with factors of time, distance and accessibility. Ask around about course recommendations from those with recent experience with the course.