Lake Mary High School has been branding AP classes as the only way for students to get into college. They claim that if you take dual enrollment or honors courses, colleges may view you as lazy or not as intelligent. Now if you want to go to an Ivy League, then this may be the case. Although for the majority of students, forcing them into AP classes may not help them, but rather harm them. Often times students are pressured or forced into AP classes that they are not mentally ready for or that they are uninterested in. Often times school administrators or staff tell kids to take AP because the more students that are enrolled, the more money the school makes.

Junior Maddy Staub says, “When I am in an AP class, I prefer it to be something I am really interested in and know that I will thrive in and perform well. If it is an AP class I’ve been peer pressured into or I am forced into by counselors and other teachers, then I find myself not to do as well.” This can lead to severe stress on the child and can leave them struggling to survive an AP, whereas they could be thriving in an honors level class. So often we talk about improving the mental health of students, and throwing them into highly advanced classes can easily make a students mental health much worse. Not only may it cause them to feel stressed to the point of anxiety, but also may cause them to feel inferior or belittled if they are constantly struggling where other classmates are excelling. This often times leads to students cheating off of others in order to get a good grade in the class.

An alternative to the current method of student placement is hearing the student out, and placing them in classes that will help them to follow their college or career goal. For example, if a student wants to major in film, they shouldn’t be pressured into taking a class like AP Chemistry if it is not of interest to them. Not to mention, even if they pass the exam, if their major doesn’t require a science class, then the class may not even count for a college credit. A better option for that student would be to take a class like film on campus and maybe see what dual enrollment classes they can take at Seminole State College or even at UCF.

Something that should also be of concern to the school is that students who find themselves on a more career bound path find themselves with little to no idea of how to make turn their goals into reality. Micheal Melson, who has the goal of being an electrician, stated that “An electrician is a good paying job for students after high school, and high school doesn’t really teach you how to do it so I have to figure it out on my own.” Rather than 1) forcing these kids into APs or 2) put them in standard classes because they aren’t considered “college bound”, perhaps it would be better to help them get ahead when it comes to finding a career. Some options include advertising vocational schools that they can go to become certified for specific lines of work. Getting an AA degree is another great option, and many high school students have graduated high school with an AA degree through dual enrollment.

So to all the students at Lake Mary High School, I urge you to enroll in classes that you believe are best for you.