By LINDSAY LANDSBERG
As you walk down the hallways of Jericho High School, you hear numerous conversations concerning examinations in Advanced Placement classes. Students are constantly stressed about cramming in rigorous coursework and receiving top grades. AP classes are no longer focused on enriching one’s intellectual curiosity but are solely considered a necessary prerequisite for acceptance into top universities.
Jericho students are becoming overly-focused on competing with fellow classmates in order to be accepted into a top college. Yet, due to the competitive nature of Jericho, asking students to balance out their course loads may be unattainable. One possible idea on how to curb students’ of their overworked schedules and academic pressures is to put a cap on the number of AP classes each student can take per grade.
According to Jericho High School principal Ms. Rosenberg, the current approach to registering for AP classes is an open enrollment policy. Students do not need to have a certain average or have teacher recommendations to sign up. Ms. Rosenberg said, “It’s a student and family decision whether or not they would like to enroll in AP courses.” With this policy, many students fill their schedules with as many APs as possible.
Prior to a new school year, students sit down with their guidance counselors and are asked the infamous question of “What courses do you want to take?” Junior Allison L. said, “I felt that taking AP classes would help build my résumé and would also try to push me to be a better student.”
Additionally, Junior Jenna W. said, “I thought it would probably look better for colleges if I took AP level classes instead of the regular level.”
However, guidance counselor Ms. Moriarty encourages students to take AP courses in their areas of interests and strengths. She said, “I work with the student and their parents and assist them in choosing their course selection based on the student’s goals, while always keeping the stress level of the student in mind. It’s all about balance in life”
Loading up on AP courses has become an obligatory step in many Jericho students’ careers. According to Curriculum Associate for Health, Physical Education & Athletics Mr. Mankowich, in the 2018-2019 school year, approximately 2000 AP exams were given among 680 students.
Students who don’t take part in the typical AP trajectory may face disapproval from peers, families, or even faculty. Junior Ellie K. feels that students are constantly being pressured into taking AP classes in subjects that they’re not interested in, only to look as qualified as other students when applying to college. She said, “I don’t want to take an AP class that I’m not interested in, but I don’t enjoy feeling smaller than other students, just because I’m in less AP classes.”
Additionally, math teacher Dr. DeMarinis, who teaches AP Statistics and AP Computer Science Principles, believes that peer pressure is an underlying reason for why students are so prone to loading up on advanced classes. He said, “Kids look and see their friends who are taking four or five AP courses, and they think ‘I need to do that too if I want to get into a good college.'”
High school should be a time for teenagers to develop both mentally and socially. Instead, students are solely focused on receiving stellar grades in order to stand out in the eyes of top universities. There are many advantages, however, to taking an Advanced Placement class, such as helping students obtain a better idea of what they want to study in college, expose students to new subjects on a deeper level, and increase a student’s chances of being admitted to a prestigious college.
Taking AP classes may or may not be the catalyst to help ensure a student’s admission into a college, but it may disrupt their high school experiences due to an overflow of work. Thus, the idea of putting a cap on the number of Advanced Placement classes a student can take per year may be a viable solution to suppress the unnecessary stress brought upon by these high-level classes. The purpose of this proposed policy would be to alleviate the constant anxiety and pressure that students face because of overworked schedules. If Jericho doesn’t take an initiative and help the student body make better decisions, anxiety and stress will take over.
Great article shedding light on this issue that faces many students. The amount of academic pressure on students is crazy, I hope that students can learn to balance their schoolwork and health.