Are you an underclassman? Are you curious about what AP classes to take in your high school career? Well, you are in the right place!
Upon creating a survey and getting over 25 responses, the top AP classes recommended by current seniors are AP U.S. History and AP Psychology. Twelve respondents said AP Psychology had been their favorite AP class, and six respondents said AP U.S.
History had been their favorite AP class. One of the respondents said that they wished that they “took APUSH (Acronym for AP U.S. History) as a younger student so she could fit it in better when her other classes weren’t hard.”
We interviewed Ms. Smith, the current teacher of AP U.S. History, to answer some of the most common questions about this course. Looking at an overview of this course, most of the homework for this class is chapter notes, “which can be a lot of work” but sets you up for success. She said this class “is very interactive,” with “the first 10 minutes of class used as a homework review, and the rest of the class is activities to help deepen students’ understanding of the content.” AP U.S. History is considered a demanding course because of the extensive content one must memorize for the May AP exam. When asked what class AP U.S. History best corresponds with, Ms.Smith responded, “Definitely AP Lang. because it also focuses on non-fiction texts that tie into the key themes of this class”. If you are looking for an AP class, you should take AP U.S. History, which your peers highly recommend. Additionally, AP U.S. History is one of the only AP classes available to sophomores, so if you are looking to push yourself early in your high school career, you should add this course to your schedule.
Those who selected AP psychology as their recommended course were all seniors, as only seniors can take this class. We obtained insight from Mr. Caulfield, the AP Psychology teacher, on his opinions of the class. When asked why students who have never taken an AP course should take this class, Mr. Caulfield reported that “Psychology is a class that is relevant to everyone; as long as you’re willing to put in the effort, you can understand it. There is a lot of memorization and content, but it is not like a math class where you need prerequisites to understand the fundamentals.” This means that you do not need to take Psychology 1 or 2 to jump into the AP course, whereas completing classes beforehand is necessary in some AP courses. This class combines lecture-based and hands-on learning, Mr. Caulfield exclaimed, “I try to structure [the class], so we do lectures once a week and then also activities where you get to investigate concepts in a tactical manner.” AP Psychology is a must for your senior year; it is a class that is relevant to almost everything, is highly engaging, and has understandable content.
We interviewed Toby Flowers, an embodiment of an “academic weapon” who has taken most AP classes at Ipswich High School. When asked what the most challenging AP class he had taken was, he responded, “Probably AP Economics last year, but mostly because it was online. I don’t think the material was that hard.” Toby also claimed that his most straightforward AP course was AP computer science principles. Wondering what AP courses to pair together? Toby has got you covered; he exclaims, “AP statistics and AP psychology because you have the experimental component in psychology,” which aligns with the first unit of the AP statistics course. If you are a rising junior, listen up! Toby recommends that “it would be worth taking AP Lang or AP statistics if you want to take AP math. AP Statistics is extremely boring but useful. AP Lang is an excellent discussion-based class and is not extremely challenging like AP Literature. Wondering which ones to stay away from, Toby says to avoid “anyone that is virtual, but yeah, it is best to take them in person.” Another one to stay away from if you’re worried about time management is AP Lit. Toby says this class has the most busy work because “you have a bunch of reading and must be prepared for discussions.” Are you worried there may not be an AP for you, depending on your future career? Toby has recommended AP statistics for STEM people because they can apply to any STEM field. If you’re interested in engineering, AP Calculus may be for you! Not a STEM person? No problem. For those who are humanities people, Toby recommends that “AP Lang is good for everyone to take; I don’t know if the AP history courses are beneficial, but I have never taken one.” Because Toby could not speak in the AP history courses, we have heard from other students that AP US history is a must-take.
Still, trying to decide what AP course you want to take? Don’t worry! You will have plenty of time to make this decision, and I hope this will guide you through this process. Feel free to contact one of us if you have any comments or questions about AP courses!
