Forty-five percent of students at Oakton are currently enrolled in AP, or Advanced Placement, courses. This number speaks for itself –taking AP’s has become extremely common at Oakton. AP courses are college-level classes offered in high school. By performing well on AP exams, students have the opportunity to earn college credit, which, at some schools, allows students to skip that specific course in college. These classes are a great way to stand out in the college admissions process and build college-level skills, but they are among the most rigorous classes Oakton has to offer. While AP’s are a great way to challenge yourself and stand out when applying to college, they should only be taken if students believe they will do well. That leaves us to decide which and how many AP’s we should take.
There are many factors that come into play when deciding if a student should take AP courses. Sports and after school clubs are time consuming, and should definitely be taken into account when deciding how many AP’s to take. “Because I am on a sports team and have a job, I don’t take as many AP’s. It has definitely made things less hectic,” said senior Rachel Kaczmarczyk.
Taking AP courses has become so common at Oakton that some consider it to be ‘odd’ if a student has never taken one. Students are feeling pressured to take AP’s because their friends are taking them, their parents are making them, or because they worry that it is necessary in order to go to college. The AP culture at Oakton could be considered hypnotizing, with students enrolling in AP classes without even thinking it over. However, the amount of AP’s you take should only be determined by what you can manage. Don’t take an AP class simply because all your friends are taking it, or because you feel you need to take more. Recognize your own strengths and use that information to decide what AP’s you would excel in. “Colleges want to see that you can be successful in college level courses, so only take AP’s if you know you will succeed,” said senior Helina Sirak.