When choosing classes, students and parents make picks based on a variety of factors: workload, how much the student can handle, GPA, college credit, et cetera. Sometimes, however, a lot of movement comes from other students recommending taking or not taking a class based on how easy it is. This can result in students who took and succeeded in harder classes, such as AP, dropping down to Pre-AP for an easier workload.

It is, of course, a situational basis whether or not an individual’s choice is the right one, but, overall, the trend of avoiding AP work seems to be leading down a dark road.

A primary reason why students drop down (or never move up in the first place) from AP is the perceived difficulty of the class.Teachers tell them it’ll be hard to make sure it is taken seriously, and former students give opinions based on how they liked or didn’t like the class when they took it. The argument is made that unless you get a 90 or above in an AP class, it doesn’t make sense to take it, and that is true, if one only considers a pure GPA standing in the decision.

GPA, while important, is not the only deciding measurement of one’s educational experience or life. It is a statistical measurement, but not the only one, and colleges, for example, are much aware that it is a fallacy to judge all applicants based on one field alone outside of context. That is why they look at things like extracurricular activities and course transcripts to gain the necessary information about an applicant’s talents and determination. This means that when they look at the transcript, they can see a student who took and did reasonably well at an AP class and then chose to drop down. That doesn’t reflect well on the work ethic of a potential applicant, and neither colleges, workplaces, nor adult life are fond or workers who consistently search for ways to do less.

Many AP classes are challenging and require work, but often not to the point where it is impossible to succeed. Contrary to popular belief, effort and actual attempts to learn will beat raw talent in a field, and that is really what AP classes are about. Yes, they can give college credit, but they are also about showing whether or not someone is willing to work at a high level. Because, let’s face it, for a lot of people (not all, but many), workload isn’t really about not being able to do the work, it’s about not wanting to.

A student who pays attention may very well be able to get a high A in a Pre-AP class with minimal effort that still looks ok from a GPA perspective, but that is really only a short-term gain. Again, shocking, especially given the memorization nature of American education, but the point of high school is to learn things. One is likely to learn far more in an AP class about not only the subject, but also skills like time management, than they will in a class that doesn’t challenge them. It is that learning that will pay dividends later on in life over those who still haven’t learned.

Keep in mind that this isn’t a critique of people who actually put in effort but still can’t  handle high workloads or fast-paced classes. The classes one takes should be based on what one can honestly handle, what one wants to learn, and what can be gained in the future. The issue is simply that there are many cases where students don’t go for that actual balance between workload and achievement and try to find easier schedules that don’t help out in the long run.

As final class registration choices are made and schedules are built for next year, it would be beneficial to analyze what benefits will be gained in the future as opposed to only looking at how things play out now.