Yes: (A.J.)
For many high school students, taking numerous AP classes can add a considerable amount of stress and significantly affect one’s mental health. Therefore, many students put a significant amount of thought and consideration into taking certain APs. With the option to take unlimited AP classes, as well as the numerous options to choose from, students can easily overwork themselves.
AP classes are not required, so if a student does not feel the need to stress themselves over their academics, can they just not take the course? Theoretically, yes, but it is not that simple. Students are competing against each other all four years of high school to be at the top of their class in order to impress colleges, often trying to take as many AP classes as possible to seem appealing to admissions officers. This causes AP courses to not truly be optional, because students believe they have to take the same amount, if not more, than their peers.
If schools limited the amount of AP courses a student is allowed to take, this need for students to take as many of these intense classes as possible would not be present. Along with that, the overall mental and physical health of these high school students would increase. Students all around the country are dealing with high stress and sleep deprivation due to the pressure and rigor of their AP classes.
Additionally, students are expected to take part in extracurricular activities, such as sports, volunteer and be involved in their school. These large time commitments alongside AP classes can be very hard on students and take away from their ability to experience a normal life as a teenager.
Therefore, high schools must limit the amount of AP courses a student can take in order to lift the weight off of students who feel pressured to take them at risk for their future. Without the option to take these courses, competition is limited and the bar is lowered when it comes to college applications, helping students in the long run.
No: (S.T.G.)
AP classes serve as an essential pillar of higher education in lower years. These courses serve numerous purposes, with each outweighing any particular reason a school uses to limit them. AP classes can be whatever a student makes of it, but the decision should be left to the individual student, not an overbearing school deciding one’s schedule.
AP classes may add a 5-pound weight on a high school student’s shoulders, but they end up removing a 50-pound weight once they reach their college years. Many students who take a multitude of AP classes while in high school end up entering university as a sophomore or a junior. This gives them the chance to enjoy the numerous social events offered in a college lifestyle by taking fewer courses a semester than their peers who took fewer AP’s in high school. Being ahead in college due to AP classes in high school also gives students the opportunity to graduate in less than the average four-year graduation timeline, allowing them to succeed in post-graduate endeavors at a younger age. A high school limiting how many AP classes one can take strips away a student’s right to determine not only their high school schedule but their life’s schedule as well.
High schools limiting the number of AP courses a student can take primarily disadvantages students who are financially burdened. The average private university course costs $4,095, a price that remains unbearable to low-income students. AP classes serve as a way for students who cannot afford a full college education to still receive credits.
Moreover, high schools should not be given the right to impede a student’s curiosity. Any time a student is learning new knowledge, it is a commendable moment. AP classes have the ability to open a student’s eyes and give them a passion or career idea, something they most likely would have been stumped on without a college-level education. AP classes supply high school students with an educational substance that the high school curriculum cannot provide.
The choice to take AP classes is a tough one for high schoolers — but it is just that, a choice. If students do not want to be burdened with the stress that comes along with AP classes, they are within their rights to not take them. High schools should not limit the amount of AP classes a student can take in the name of ‘lightening their high school career’ because the benefits of AP classes stretch long past high school, as do the consequences of limiting them.
