There is quite a bit of pressure to come across as put-together and well-rounded on college applications. This can be quite difficult to do because of the competition to be accepted. Students spend their high school years hearing “You’ll need this to get into college” or “This will look good on college applications” often.

Because there are a decent amount of preparation needed for students before they do go off to college, high schools should add more Advanced Placement (AP) courses. Taking these courses does help with the change college will bring. AP classes bring the opportunity to earn credit before college.

High schools should offer more AP classes than most schools typically already do because there are a variety of majors these students will be going into. AP classes are a helpful learning tool for students because it challenges them. Not just academically, but these courses also prepare the students with time management skills and mental preparation for college.

According to the College Board website, admissions at colleges want to see AP classes on student’s transcripts because it lets them know the difficulties the student faced while taking that AP class. It shows that he or she could succeed in even the most rigorous courses their high school had to offer.

AP classes offer students college credit which can make their college experience less expensive. Taking AP classes in high school can also help graduates initially get accepted into college. Showing these more difficult, college-based classes helps show the admissions department that these students are more well-rounded, prepared and dedicated to their school work.  

“By taking an AP course and scoring successfully on the related AP Exam, you can save on college expenses: Most colleges and universities nationwide offer college credit, advanced placement, or both, for qualifying AP Exam scores. These credits can allow students to save college tuition, study abroad, or secure a second major,” the College Board website claims.

There are many different topics students are interested in going into and not all of those are covered by current AP courses, so a simple solution would be for more AP course options to be added.

AP courses in one’s high school give the possibility of skipping introductory courses once going on to college. Learning to navigate the academic expectations they will encounter in their academic futures, hopefully leading to these students making intelligent choices on what their priorities should be when they do go off to college.