Taking AP courses has advantages for many Creek students – potential for a higher GPA, learning material at an advanced pace, and smaller class sizes that encourage individual instruction. Most importantly, teachers proclaim these courses to better prepare a student for college. Creek graduates have shared how their personal experience in high school courses, both AP and regular, helped them adjust to college life.
“The rigor of AP classes reflect more accurately what students will face in college,” Dr. Kevin Fleming, Creek AP English IV teacher, said. “My class specifically helps students organize, analyze, and prioritize the tasks they’ll face in college.”
Many students agreed that AP courses help prepare a student for the type of work they’ll receive in college. “In high school, the type of learning is knowledge and comprehension,” Stephanie Haechten, 2008 graduate and current student at Texas A&M University, said. “In college, you learn how to apply and analyze the material. AP classes prepare you for this process.
“AP classes prepare you for college in that the content matter is the same,” Dixie Hairston, 2006 graduate and current junior at University of Texas, said. “I am familiar with more literature than most of my peers because of my AP experience. However, anybody can make a good grade in a college class if they apply themselves, and I think that’s where AP classes benefit you the most. AP classes are harder than “regular” classes and you really have to study for them.”
However, some graduates questioned AP classes for taking away from the “high school experience” of participating in after-school clubs, sports, and activities.
“I always enjoyed my classes at Creek and liked being pushed,” Lauren Glass, Stephen F. Austin graduate, said. “I always thought that you should have a mix of easy and hard classes so that you would not be too overwhelmed, and still be able to enjoy high school by learning.” Glass said that she took at least two advanced material courses each year and still had time to participate actively in Creek’s vigorous Theatre Arts program.
“AP classes did not hinder my extra curricular activities, but I only took one course,” said Haechten, who served as the editor-in-chief of the newspaper and participated in Creek’s Ready, Set, Teach! program. “I don’t believe I would have been as involved if I had taken more AP classes.”
Hairston, who spent her time in high school as an active member of the student body, disagrees.“I did everything there was to do in high school, from sports to newspaper to band and I graduated with a decent GPA,” she said. “I think that it is imperative for high school students to learn how to take AP classes and be involved in extra curricular activities because it helps you learn to budget your time in college.”
Many students specifically highlighted the difference in setup of high school and college courses.“The classes greatly differ in size,” Haechten said. “My Business Math class has almost 200 students. The material is lectured instead of taught. However, they are similar in the way that they are both intense amounts of material that demand studying time and hard work. You have to want your grade.”
“In high school, you have lots of tests and assignments and therefore can afford to mess up on a few and still keep a high grade in the class,” Glass said. “In lots of college classes, you will only have four tests or assignments all semester and you have to do well on all of them to pass the class.”
Many of the graduates agreed that while AP classes help prepare you as best they can, nothing comes close to the actual freshman-year experience.
“I don’t think anything can really prepare you for college. It’s so different from anything you have ever known academically and socially,” Hairston said. “The absolute most important thing to know is that your success or failure is totally up to you. No one is holding your hand, it’s entirely your choices.”
“The most important thing to remember is that you in college to go to class. A lot of freshman have problems going to class or caring about their studies because there’s no one there to reinforce it,” said Glass.
“Taking AP courses fulfills the purpose of high school – to prepare students for college,” Gwen Cash, Creek AP U.S. History teacher, said. “They also prepare a student for life by giving them an opportunity to learn how to face and deal with challenges of the real world.”