Throughout most students’ academic careers, most wonder about taking AP and honors classes. Some might infer that AP and honors classes are useless and are not helpful. Others might say that those types of classes are the key to success. However, AP and honors classes have their own sets of pros and cons that are specific to every individual.

To start off with, AP and honors classes create a multitude of opportunities for students that wish to further their education. AP classes are worth 5.0-grade points per credit. This means that someone can boost their grade point average (GPA) an incredible amount with just one class. However, honors classes assign a greater value to grades earned in more challenging courses, which can be beneficial since it removes the worry that students have of receiving a lower grade in a tougher course.

“A big misconception about honors classes is that they’re a lot harder than regular classes, but most of the time they’re not that much more challenging,” sophomore Lily Hernandez stated.

One of the main topics that colleges will review when considering a student, is their GPA. Therefore, taking classes that will inevitably boost one’s GPA can help a student get into the college they’re interested in. Not only does a high GPA look good on a transcript, but colleges love to see students challenge themselves with both honors and AP classes.

“I take a decent amount of honors classes because honestly it just looks better on a transcript,” sophomore Kellen Grecko noted.

Overall, AP and honors classes can be beneficial to any student who might consider going to a college after high school. These kinds of classes show colleges how hard working and how devoted a student is to achieving their academic goals.

Although there can be many benefits to taking AP and honors classes, they also come with their own problems.  The most obvious challenge is the increased workload. Naturally, when signing up for more challenging classes, the amount of work and effort that is expected from the student is increased. That means more homework, quizzes, tests, and more studying is required from the student in order to be academically proficient. Yet, a good grade is not guaranteed, which further implies that a student is not capable of keeping up with the workload, which can inevitably worsen their grades. 

“Yeah, taking AP and honors classes can be helpful if you’re trying to get into college and things like that, but it’s also a lot of work and a lot more stress,” sophomore Brayden Amoruso commented.

Teachers will also have a much higher expectation of students and oftentimes students will have to spend their own time to make sure they understand the content. The more time a student has to devote to their academic schedule, the less time they can spend on personal interests and extracurricular activities. There are undeniable benefits to taking AP and honor classes, however, it has its own set of cons that come with some benefits. 

AP and honors classes have their own pros and cons. Depending on the individual, advanced classes can be both a huge advantage and disadvantage for a student. It’s up to the student whether or not taking these kinds of classes will be helpful to them in their academic careers.