AP courses have become so common that taking them has become less important and does nothing to boost students’ résumés. As more students have taken the AP exams, the pass rates have decreased significantly. Students are forced into taking honors and AP classes as early as freshman year and are motivated to continue in these classes throughout all of their high school time.

“Reportedly, fewer colleges are accepting AP credit for class replacement. So this removes the economic incentive for knocking out college classes in high school.” – Elizabeth Mulvahill  a teacher of an unnamed highschool. 

The AP program causes many students to feel a lot of educational pressure. They believe that AP participation is beneficial when they apply to colleges. Nevertheless, students feel like they need extra help and tutoring to achieve high scores on AP Exams. Students also feel social pressure to take AP classes. Students who don’t take them feel inferior to their classmates because of the common belief that all the “smartest” students take AP classes. Along with the stress that comes with AP classes, many students are involved with extracurriculars. These students have had to learn how to balance their course load and other activities.

Many students and staff members share similar views on taking AP classes. Students should take classes according to their likes and dislikes, not based off of which ones will look better to colleges.