Take the Challenge

In their years at Pomona, students find that when taking an AP class they have greater rewards at the end than when taking a class in which you could skip for a week and not be missed much because in CP classes students are less cooperative when working but in AP classes, student are more noticed if they are absent in the class because they can fall behind easily. When taking AP classes, students are earning college credits (if they get a 5, 4, or 3 on the exam) which saves time by leaving the student with less classes to take in college, and money by increasing both eligibility for scholarships, and the likelihood to complete their bachelor’s degree on time. Unlike AP kids the CP students are hand held as they receive step by step procedure and focus material whereas in an AP class, students work on concepts and heavy duty thinking problems to increase their critical thinking. Since expectations are lower, CP students are less prepared than AP students going to college.

Teachers can see the differences in how the expectations shape students better than anyone else. “AP classes are very fast, demanding, and they have high expectations,” a Chemistry teacher, who teaches AP and CP (College Prep) classes, describes. “CP covers basic knowledge...they’re driven towards grades, they don't inquire much, [As for] AP students, [they're] more focused, always inquiring, very dedicated.” Even a Spanish teacher can see a hefty difference in maturity from his AP and CP classes. For CP he “usually [has] to give lots of instruction and [has] too many behavioral issues” and AP “they follow directions”. Even students that are taking both types of classes can agree on that.

These problems of expectation are even seen by students. When interviewing a student that has been in both environments, it seemed that the student blamed the teacher for how they let the students act and how they learn. She states that in her CP class, the teacher talks to them as a whole and under estimates their understanding. Also, she can miss class for three week and still retain an A+ with no challenge for her what so ever. She believes that half the students in her CP classes don't even know if they’re going to graduate and probably don’t know what they’re going to do after high school. Even though she believes that there is more work in AP classes, she also thinks that “it is going to help me prepare for college because 'college work' and 'college pressure'” equals success in the near future.

With over 30 AP courses to choose from (not all offered at Pomona School), students should take the challenge and choose a class that is suitable for them so they can have the change to grasp the opportunities that others are already working their way toward. “AP classes are taught by highly qualified high school teachers,” College Board claims. These highly qualified teachers are the “master” that teaches their “pupil” to challenge them at college levels to prepare how they think. In AP, the teachers have higher expectations than CP classes because of how they teach, in order for them to prepare the student for the AP exam they will take in May. They treat you as a student that has a future to go to college and succeed in life. AP is the way for students to tell if they are college material, putting most people’s minds at ease.

Students should be encouraged to take AP along with CP classes, and teachers should have higher expectations for their students. While experiencing higher education, students may work harder to meet their requirements while they learn life lessons that they can use in critical places when needed, when learning it early in life.

            By: Alonso G.