Junior Maria Antonia Angel has little over one week to choose the classes she will be taking next year as a senior. Knowing the impact of her decision on the future, she carefully examines the options, but she cannot decide. The window of opportunity closes and she is forced to make an uninformed decision that she is not sure will meet her needs.

AP electives capture the attention of students who are looking to challenge themselves by taking harder courses and who are already beginning to think of their future after high school. Because students are only allowed a certain number of classes, many wonder which they should pick. More students should take into consideration important aspects in the decision making process when choosing classes.

Those students that are up for the challenge of taking an AP class are troubled by many factors when deciding what classes they should pick. Firstly, the decision between interest and what looks good in a college application is a tough one. Many students find they are taking classes different from their interests based only on the hope of looking more promising to colleges. This is a mistake because students are more likely to succeed in a class that they enjoy and colleges admire a student who takes AP classes regardless of the number of classes or what those classes are.

“We expect you to challenge yourself throughout high school and to do very well. Remember, however, that our evaluation of your application goes beyond any numerical formula. There is no specific number of AP or honors courses you must have on your transcript that will secure your admission,” said Stanford University representative.

Another important aspect to consider are the prerequisites demanded for each AP class, as students are asked to be prepared for the courses they choose. For example, it is a requirement to take pre-calculus before taking AP Calculus. However, having taken the prerequisite does not guarantee success in an AP class. A lot of students do not take into account the fact that she should have done well in the prerequisite to be able to succeed in an AP class.

“I took anatomy and thought that this meant that I would ace AP biology, however, this was not nearly enough to pass the course,” Maria de los Angeles Delgado, 11th grader, said.

According to the college board, the number of students who graduate from high school having taken rigorous AP courses has nearly doubled over the past decade, however, a lot of students are taking more classes than they can handle. It is very common to hear students underestimate the pressure of an AP class and think that they can take 4 AP classes in a year. Not only will these students probably become extremely stressed and have little time to spend outside of studying, but they are more likely to do more poorly in their APs compared to students who are taking one or two APs.

“Colleges look to see that students have taken the most challenging courses available to them. You may take as many AP exams as you are prepared for each year,” said the College Board, the association that runs AP classes worldwide.

Angel turns in her form having chosen three rigorous APs for her senior year. As she presses submit, she joins her friends who tell her that she has chosen way too many hard classes for her last year, a supposed time to relax. She goes home feeling scared and uneasy about what her next year at school will be like.