As the time for selecting next year’s courses rolls around, Franklin High School’s freshmen are facing a decision: whether or not to take an AP course. AP, also known as Advanced Placement, is a college-level course designed to give students exposure to college rigor. At the end of the year, students take a final AP exam on all the information taught.

So why consider an AP course? AP classes look great on college applications – it shows colleges that you are able to handle college level work. Also, a great score on the final exam can lead to college credit.

FHS offers two possible AP courses for sophomores: AP United States History and AP Biology. AP United States History, commonly known among students as “APUSH”, is a two year course, while AP Bio is one year.

As freshmen are offered the chance to take these two classes, it is important to understand what it takes to excel in them. Alex Sinks, a Franklin junior, took AP Bio his sophomore year. On why he chose to take the course, he said it was “…because of my love for biology and because I am thinking about a career in the sciences.”

Alex also added that he really enjoyed the class, but it is “one of the most work intensive classes [he] took, with 1 ½ to 3 hours of work per night”. He said students should take it if they truly love biology.

The other course, APUSH, is two years that students begin sophomore year and finish junior year. The homework includes nightly reading with notes, which preps for the in class discussion the next day. The course requires students not only to memorize events, people, and places, but to apply their knowledge and come to a conclusion on why these events happened.

Sophomore Brianna Cummings is currently taking her first year of APUSH. One of her tips for freshmen considering this class for next year is to, “be prepared for a huge step up in workload and expectations. Also make sure you have a system of note taking that works for you, because you take a lot of them!”

She also admitted that though she was nervous at first, the class is not as bad as the hype if students are willing to work hard.

How do you know if these classes are right for you? Junior Grace Griffin says to, “Make sure you understand the requirements for the class and know that you’ll be able to keep up with the work before you sign up.” Students with a love for history and want a challenge should consider APUSH.

“APUSH allows you to meet students with the same motivation as you it’s really fun to collaborate with them,” junior Katelyn Pokorny added. Grace went also went on to say that she “Really likes history and APUSH is good because it goes deeper than honors. All the extra work is worth it.”

For more information on these courses, students can check out Franklin High School’s program of studies or the College Board website.