AP Work: Topo Much, Too Little, or Just Right?
Advanced placement classes are designed to be more challenging; however, are AP
programs everything students anticipate it to be? Is the workload fair- or rather too
much or too little?
“I believe AP classes give too much homework. I understand that it is an AP class and
we should be given an abundance of work, but not to the extent of not being able to get
enough sleep or have fun. Personally, I am very overworked, sleeping late every night,
missing some of my extracurriculars just because I have to finish my homework”, said
one AP student, who preferred to remain anonymous. This student, a junior, is enrolled
in both AP English Literature and AP World History.
“I am enrolled in only one AP class, but I feel like the amount of homework is sometimes
unfair. For me, it’s not how difficult the work is, but rather the amount of homework. I
spend around 8 hours on AP English homework, per week”, said another student.
Contrarily, some students attest that their AP classes provide a fair amount of work with
a considerate timeline.
Emily Loscalzo, a junior enrolled in AP Biology, said “In my experience with AP Biology,
Kumu Hutchinson gives a reasonable amount of work and time to complete it. Although,
I only take one AP class, so I’m not sure how his class would compare to others or with
other AP classes.”
Ultimately, the purpose of an AP class is to prepare its students for college-level work.
Students who enroll in AP classes are aware that these classes employ a curriculum
more challenging than Honors and Regular courses. Whether or not the curriculum
adapted is reasonable or too extensive seems to depend on a plethora of factors: the
teacher, the class, extracurriculars, the number of assignments, the number of AP
classes being taken by the individual, and more.
Taking an AP class is certainly not easy. When considering whether it is the right
choice, students should take into account how well an AP class will fit in their schedule,
as well as whether they are willing to handle all an AP class brings to the table.
EMAIL: [email protected]
Hi! My name is Logan and this is my second year on Ka Mō’ī. I am a part of the c/o 2023 and wanted to make this last year memorable for everyone by being a part of the school newspaper. When I'm not on the hill, you can usually find me working at Baskin Robbins as a cake decorator on the weekends. As for my post-high school plans, I intend on double majoring in Communications and Education. After graduating from college, I hope to return to KS as a teacher or admin for some time while I continue to write and do journalism on the side. Eventually, I plan on pursuing a full-time career in writing (though I don't know exactly what that career will be). With the help of everyone else on Ka Mō’ī, I hope to restore the interest haumāna once had in reading the school newspaper. If you have any questions, feel free to email me!
