Advanced Placement students at San Luis Obispo High School complete labs all the time in AP Chemistry with Chemistry teacher Jennifer Brazier. Photo courtesy of junior Bear Plemons.
Students at San Luis Obispo High School nowadays are constantly stressed about their class selection, specifically if they should take honors or AP classes. But many students don’t understand the difference in rigor between the two, and how that should affect their decision.
“Honors classes are nowhere near as challenging as AP classes, but they definitely help you prepare for them,” said junior Brendan Eagon.
Honors classes are meant to help students prepare for AP classes, if a student finds themselves struggling to keep up in honors classes, students most definitely will struggle in AP classes.
“I would say I spend an extra thirty minutes to an hour per night on homework, and about two hours studying for a test the night before for ap classes. Honors classes do not have nearly as much work or studying required, and I would say are a lot easier,” said Drew Howes.
AP classes require a lot more work as they require the student to have a complex understanding of the material. In honors classes, you can definitely get by putting minimal effort in, as long as you have a basic understanding of the subject.
According to College Board, the number of public high school graduates nationally who have taken an AP Exam increased from 32.8 percent of the class of 2014, to 35.7 percent of the class of 2024. This shows that AP classes are becoming more and more popular, and may even become the standard. Students need to be aware that AP classes will help more than honors classes in college admissions, and are worth the hard work.
AP classes offer a multitude of benefits, such as a benefit to your weighted GPA and they are more favorable to colleges, but they come at the cost of a heavier workload and more rigorous coursework. Taking AP classes can also give students an opportunity to get college credits and skip classes later on.
Honors classes on the other hand offer a lighter workload but do not have as great of an effect on your GPA and colleges do not view them as the same level.
Source: newsroom.collegeboard.org
