Are AP Courses Worth It?

By Megan Soto, Staff Reporter 

Courtesy of MAGGIEL.WALKERGOVERNOR'SSCHOOL

In the fall of 2018, 221,000 students applied to schools in the UC system, breaking 2016’s record of 207,000 students. Nearly 99% of those applicants engaged in at least one AP course in their high school career, yet more than half of said applicants were rejected.

Based off of average student performances, it is fair to say that rigorous courses are great for those both comfortable and knowledgeable in the subject. However, if the subject is on a weaker trajectory, it is much more strategic to take the regular course to ensure a better grade.

The majority of efforts put into high school are fueled by the desire to go to a prestigious college. If college is the focus, it is important to be informed on what college admission offices actually look for when applying.

“When looking at the impact on acceptance rates, good grades are still important, but having rigorous courses is not a cushion for lower grades,” an anonymous IB Kennedy alumni said. “It is also good to consider that some colleges look at the overall GPA rather than specific courses, and even sometimes consider the unweighted GPA only, so bad grades are just that: bad grades.”

Those who argue that it is better to get worse grades in AP courses claim that colleges appreciate the efforts in taking rigorous courses. However, the truth is that most colleges don’t look at your classes first, as many have evolved to initially judge based on GPA.

“Because there are thousands of applications, often times people working on college boards glance at GPA, not specific courses,” University of Maryland admission counselor David Watson said.

This is not to say that AP courses aren’t beneficial in any way, as they do offer great intellectual stimulation for those prompted for the class.

“AP courses will definitely benefit you more being that you’ll be challenged,” AP Calculus teacher Alicia Callanan said. “But, when looking at colleges, it is probably more logical to do well in regular classes than poorly in AP classes.”

Though your courses will be recognized in your college admission process, it is only looked at if your GPA is acceptable. So, there truly is no point in taking rigorous courses and not doing well, as that will only cause colleges to throw your application to the side.