In the past, signing up for an AP class meant that I could expect to learn a great array of subjects in focused detail complete with a rigorous course structure. Now in my senior year, my experiences thus far in AP classes have definitely proved to be demanding—and dare I say, tedious,but not at all fulfilling.

As someone who loves learning, I revel in the introduction of new foreign topics. But, to be told many times throughout a lesson that “College board loves to ask about _______” tends to distort my appreciation of the knowledge I am trying to learn, into anxiety over how many times I will need to study the topic to memorize it for a $90 exam months away.

This stress has affected teachers as well, pressuring them to ensure that their students pass this absurd exam, and sacrifice in-depth discussions on transformative topics to cover all the material College Board expects students to know. They have no choice but to pick and choose what they teach to hit a wide, yet succinct, range of topics before the exam date. I have heard too many times that a certain a bit of material will not be taught because College Board does not test on it.

And what exactly are we learning? History class is dates, battles, and past president ideals. How  these events and details we memorized actually affected our present society, government, or culture… I learned a mere semblance of. We learn about the enslavement of African Americans and yet we learn little to nothing about African culture or the current socioeconomic impact of centuries of oppression.

Public and private schools alike are phasing out of AP courses across the nation as the push for Advanced Placement schools has only resulted in increased failure rates. Schools are gearing up to create their own advanced courses focused on collaborative and interdisciplinary learning— with an integration of connecting coursework to real world issues. Studies also show that with the overwhelming number of students loading their schedules with AP courses, their inclusion on one’s transcript is no longer impressive or impactful to a college admission officer’s perception of their academic achievement.   

While excelling in an AP class and doing well on the exam can nab you some college credit and save tuition money, the stress and minutiae of the class structure only creates deterrence in the enjoyment of learning. It forms a reward system in education instead of teaching students to learn for the sake of the joy that comes with discovering something new about the world we live in.