Advanced Placement (AP) courses are college-level classes available to high school students. Sacred Hearts Academy has eight different AP courses.

AP classes offer challenging course work to give students a taste of what college courses will be like and the possibility of earning college credits, which can help students save money. By doing college-level work successfully in high school, students build confidence and prepare for what comes in college while also testing their abilities.

“AP classes can make the college transition easier because students have been conditioned to handle a rigorous course load and have been trained to think on a more critical level. Even if a student doesn’t perform well on the national exam, the experience of taking an AP course can be invaluable in ingraining good study habits and analytical thinking skills,” said AP U.S. History teacher, Wendi Vincent.

AP courses show colleges and universities that students can succeed in a college environment. They are some of the most challenging classes high schools have to offer. Students who accept the challenge of such college-level courses have an edge in the competitive admissions process.

“I’m in AP United States History and it’s a lot different than any other class I’ve taken. It requires a lot more time outside of school of studying, a lot more focused attention and a lot more critical thinking,” said junior Danielle Ho.

All AP teachers must have curriculum that meets college standards and is acceptable to The College Board. When admissions officers see AP courses on transcripts, they have a good understanding of what students have experienced and how well the courses have prepared students for college challenges.

“AP Biology is probably the hardest class I’ve ever taken but also the most rewarding. From taking an AP class, I know that all of my work will pay off because I’m going to be able to skip through classes in college that other people are going to have to spend hours in. I’d like to graduate college as soon as possible, and AP classes really help me with that,” said senior Saya Hayashi.

In AP, students explore and discuss subjects in depth. Students are asked to take part in class discussions for their insights on topics. AP students must take the national exam at the end of the year, which is a cumulative assessment.

“I learned more in AP English than I have in a lot of my other classes. We do tons of work each class, and the workload is probably double what I do for any other class. I’m glad I took it, though, because at least I know what to expect for college,” said junior Malia Weisskopf.

More than 90 percent of colleges and universities offer college credit, and/or advanced placement for students with qualifying AP exam scores.

“Students made the choice to take on a rigorous course. They cannot expect to be spoon-fed. Students are expected to put in more time per day preparing for class and/or reviewing the material. It is impossible to know what exact material will surface on the exam, which can be very stressful,” said Vincent.

By doing college level work, AP students take risks while still in a familiar setting and gaining confidence in addition to college credit.

If students know what their majors will be, taking AP courses related to those majors helps students skip required introductory courses in college and move directly into upper-level classes.

AP exams are scored differently than regular exams. For AP, students are rated 1-5. Those who score a 1 or 2 on exams do not get college credit or advanced placement. Some schools accept a 3 for credit, but college guidelines differ for requirements of AP credit.

If students do exceptionally well in AP, they can win non-monetary awards. The purpose of these awards is to make the student more noticed by colleges.

Scholarships of $2,000 are awarded to students who score 5 on eight AP Exams.

“From my perspective as an AP history teacher, solid reading comprehension and writing skills are necessary to be successful. In addition to that, successful AP students traditionally possess a combination of the following qualities: independence, good time management, willingness to accept and apply feedback,” said Vincent.