Taking as many AP and Honors classes as you can in high school is not your best option, however there are benefits to taking a small dose of these challenging courses. You can save money in college by transferring college credit earned from passing the class and the AP exam – they can often be factors in scholarship decisions – and they offer a challenge to students which can be helpful for the student and their admissions chances. Colleges do like to see students push themselves in high school; however, that doesn’t necessarily mean you should take seven AP classes and struggle to survive. If your mental health is at risk due to the amount of challenging classes you give yourself, then you may want to rethink your school schedule. A Washington Post article reported on students who “literally have no social life and [have] enormous anxiety because they spend practically every waking hour doing school work.” If this sounds like you, then you have definitely loaded up on far too many challenging classes.

Despite many false claims against it, students do not need to take a set amount of AP and Honors classes in high school in order to get into a good college. In fact, it is better to only take the amount of classes you can handle while still achieving good grades. It is also better for your health if you can balance your schoolwork and outside activities evenly. Sometimes, taking a break from school and releasing some of the built up stress can be the best help you can give yourself in school. But if you have loaded yourself with too many challenging courses, you no longer have this option because you have no free time. If you burn yourself out at home or wherever you go to relieve stress, then how can you expect yourself to do any better at school?

So you may be asking yourself, how can I tell if I should take AP classes? Well, lucky for you, the website Studypoint has a few tips to help you decide on whether or not you should. Consider a busy schedule throughout the year with sports and other outside activities. The chance of the AP class lowering your overall GPA or the prospect of falling behind your peers in skills you are not particularly strong in, then taking those AP classes may not be the right decision for you.

Another factor that you should make sure you address is your test-taking ability. At the end of each year, students enrolled in AP classes are given the opportunity to take the AP exam, scored on a scale of 1 to 5, where if you receive a grade 3 or higher then you can be awarded college credit for most schools. However, achieving a score of 3 or higher is not an easy task whatsoever, and in some cases, a 3 doesn’t even cut it for the prospective school. It is a timed multiple choice test with an accompanying essay or two or three even: a stress-inducing monster that few have vanquished. If you do not pass this exam then the colleges will award zero college credit and view the AP class on your application as just a really hard class that didn’t pay off.

I know from current experiences that even just two AP classes with your other normal workload of classes is very challenging and practically dominates your life. So, if you are unsure about whether you should take these challenging courses, the best advice I can give to you is to talk to someone about it. Talk to a sibling who has taken these classes, talk to your counselor, talk to your parents, talk to your friends enrolled in the classes. Figure out how much time you can fit into your schedule and make your decision accordingly. Although they are very hard and a tad-bit stressful, I recommend enrolling in these classes as you still have lots of fun and are able to learn a lot of very interesting information!

http://www.studypoint.com/ed/ap-classes/