AP classes. Designated as Advanced Placement courses, the very name evokes fond memories in the eyes of students, whether it be the endless payments to College Board, the last-minute cramming the night before the AP exam or the monotonous drone of College Board’s beloved AP Daily videos. Either way, the challenge of an AP class is an effective way to earn college credit and knock out classes before you even step foot on a university campus. For many, however, the lure of these courses comes from the extra weight given to AP classes, with 5 points being awarded instead of the usual four for getting the same A grade. This appeal has created an obsession with stacking up on AP classes with many students overloading on 5-pointer classes in order to boost their GPA, increase their class rank and, most importantly, boast to others about the rigor of their courseload. As a result, many have exploited the system by taking copious amounts of virtual classes and filling Georgia Virtual School (GAVS) pockets with cash, creating an epidemic of cheating and ‘snaking’ among the student body.

Needless to say, this rat race to be College Board’s posterchild has created discontent among many students, and many feel that there should be a limit on the number of AP classes that one can take. 

“I personally think that people who take more AP classes than they can handle is not a good thing…I am a person who advocates for less grade inflation and less GPA inflation,” Lambert sophomore Avaneesh Choragudi argued. 

Many students are disgruntled with the current rate of high academic competitiveness at Lambert as it is obvious that many are taking egregious course loads solely for the sake of their GPA. This creates a rift between those taking excess AP classes and the rest of the student body, who then feel peer pressure to reach these unrealistic standards. As a result, the school becomes further fragmented socially and divides students. Additionally, academic peer pressure is an issue that causes serious concern among the student body and leads to mental and social problems in many.

“I think the awareness [about academic peer pressure] just has to be out there for everyone,” 10th Honors Literature and Composition teacher Mrs. Adamczyk said. “And if someone tries to say, ‘Why are you only taking seven?’ you just simply have to say, ‘I don’t think it’s worth my while.’”

Students overloading on AP courses has had a detrimental effect on student mental health at Lambert and across the nation. Because of the added stress and anxiety that comes with having to tackle such a taxing and overbearing workload, the student mental health crisis has become a much more prominent issue on campuses across the country. The increasing peer pressure to take AP classes with the sole purpose of raising one’s GPA causes a lack of a balance in student’s lives.

With all these highly detrimental effects weighing down on students not only at Lambert but across the country, it is clear that some sort of boundary needs to be set in order to ensure the wellbeing of high school students. Putting a cap on the number of AP classes that one can take in a given year will reduce bloated academic competition (i.e. the race for valedictorian being an online-class frenzy rather than a true test of who is on top) and stress levels for students, overall contributing to a healthier and happier student environment. Taking AP classes should be for enriching one’s education and academic viability rather than just a GPA boost. School should be a place where students can learn valuable skills – a place that can prepare one for their future, and when a number on a transcript is given more priority than one’s own education, it is clear that limits have to be drawn with respect to this situation. When the playing field is leveled in such a manner, students feel more comfortable challenging themselves and taking rigorous classes in the scope of what they can handle, rather than attempting to chase everyone else in a neverending rat race. As a whole, placing a cap on AP classes is a necessary measure to ensure that the student body of Lambert remains academically successful without the added stress of an unmanageable courseload, helping build a better student experience for those here at Lambert. If not a cap on AP classes, perhaps a cap on the amount of AP classes that count towards GPA would be both mentally and academically beneficial for students. This way, students can take however many AP classes they want, but there is still a restriction to protect mental health.