Since I have been doing this for quite some times, I am going to discuss this with everyone in this class since we are facing it right now.
Every afternoon, the juniors in my school are required to attend junior seminar, which mainly helps juniors to have a better understandings of what they need to do to actually get into a college. Well, after reading all the material my instructor passed out and all the people from different colleges, I conclude that the better is better. They are saying the same thing over and over again, better grades, good SAT scores, challenging courses, and tons of extra school activities are essential.
Simple enough, yet the questions were filled in my mind. Why would I take honors? Why would I take APs? Is it just because those are what the colleges want? I haven’t figured my answer yet, but I will be really sad if the answer is a yes. Just like I take this AP US government class…I know nothing about US government before, seriously. Democratic, republicans, tea party, ect, are the nouns I am hearing all the time, yet I never thought I will ever spend time to study them.
I am a new student in my school this year as a junior, and I am totally upset. They don’t provide honors, and I could not take APUSH because it is in the same period as my Japanese class, and I could not take American Literature also because of the schedule. All the hopes of a fresh start are crushed, and the online course of AP US government seemed to be the last hope for me to prove myself.
It is an amusing subject, after a few days of studies I figured that out. As I was stressing out for writing a thoughtful post for this class, all the memories of last year’s in class essay came back, what a nice way to keep me on task since I don’t have history class this term. It is definitely helpful, not only for a better understanding of US government and its belief, but also a prep for US history next term. I am glad I made the decision to take this class, although I know nothing in the beginning. I am excited to see how much I can push myself.
So what about college? I am not doing this for the college; I am doing this for my own interests. Adding this course on what I have in school now is very tiring, but I am totally happy and fine with it. I hope I can have this moment of life that I will never regret for.
Government, Politics, & Citizenship 
I am so glad you are coming to recognize the joy of learning for its own pleasure. This class should offer you so many opportunities to experience that joy as you apply what you are learning to what is going on in the world around us. Enjoy!
Karen Douse
OSG Academic Dean
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I’m glad to know someone feels the same way as I do – I am often overwhelmed by the sheer amount of work I have in school and sometimes wonder why I’m even taking half the classes I do. Fortunately, I can also agree with you that this class is very interesting. I think out of all my classes, this probably is the one I enjoy the most (which would make sense, since I had to separately elect to take it online) though it does add a significant amount of work to my schedule.
Don’t worry too much about what you’re missing in APUSH… I’m taking APUSH right now, and I can definitely tell you I think this class is not only more interesting but more useful (not that APUSH isn’t useful… but government and politics come up all the time in daily life in ways that US history definitely does not!)
I hope you continue to enjoy the class!
Jane
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When you go to look for college and applying for scholarships, yes all of these AP and Honor Courses look good, but when it comes down to an interview for a scholarship or something, it is not going to matter how many AP courses you have taken. It is going to come down to your CHARACTER and your financial need. My point is, are they really worth all the extra time and effort?
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Hello there(sorry I can’t determine your name…),
I love this post! Although I am only a Junior and have not really started to worry too much about college yet, nor do I really need to apply for Scholarship, I really understand what you are thinking. From time to time, when I just have to squeeze a little bit more time for the online class even though the schedule is already super packed, I try to convince my self with the fact that I am loving what I am learning. And I always find that very useful and motivating. Although it could sound a little bit too idealistic, I think in the end it’s the passion that really matters. And I personally feel colleges will agree with that.
This is basically just summing about what you said at the end of the blog, but keep doing what you are doing right now, it’s awesome. Go with what you love to do, in the end it will serve you good. At the same time, think about the rest of our class, AP US GOV as a whole class will be together 🙂 We are in the same battlefield!
Sincerely
Amber
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Hi,
Great post, I also have similar confusions. I think that a large issue around getting into college is that at many schools it seems as if you have to compete with other classmates for good grades rather than focusing on what is truly important, Learning. I also believe that as population rises and high school graduates rise you see a corresponding decline in acceptances into colleges. This makes it even more competitive. What a lot of people are frustrated with is the rising price of colleges. Some costing up to 50k a year verses 50 years ago when college cost less then 10k. I think there are a lot of corrupt aspects to college but people are pressured to go because of a “promise” of a better life.
Thanks, Will
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I absolutely love this post, mainly because I have been struggling with the same issues and questions. My school does not offer AP courses, and have started to get rid of honors classes as well. I am a Junior as well and with all this talk around college, it can be very stressful and so much pressure is put on grades, SAT scores, and classes, as you said. Thanks for writing about this! It really helped me gain some perspective on the topic.
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Great blog! My friends have been dealing with the same problem. All the extra courses look good, but it really comes down to how well you score on the tests like the SAT. Im glad to hear you actually want to learn things from your AP courses instead of just doing them to look good. Having a strong will to learn will get you much farther than anything else.
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Great job on this blog. I completely understand everything you are saying! I have taken many hard courses throughout high school and all of them have been so much more stressful this year especially the one AP class I have. Keep working hard in those classes because the harder you work the better you will do!
Good luck!
Aaron
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Hi!
Not only did I enjoy your blog post, but I can really relate to it as well. I am also a junior this year and, somewhat similar to your college seminar, my grade had a college retreat at the beginning of the year. The college retreat was supposed to make us feel less stressed out, but it did the opposite. Just like you, I recently had some scheduling conflicts that led to me dropping my language course in order to switch my math class. It was not a huge problem, considering I have already completed my language requirements for graduation, but I hear all the time that colleges like language credits. I found myself wondering if it was worth it to alter my schedule in order to take classes that I have a greater interest and understanding in. Now that I’ve read your post, I feel a lot better about my decision. I believe that you can get so much more from a class if you actually enjoy it, which is why I agree with you that we should take classes not because colleges want us to take it but because we want to take it.
Good luck with your classes!
McKay
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Hi-
I loved reading your blog post! I think you really hit upon a point that most high schoolers can really relate to. It seems to me (as a fellow junior) that so much of what I do is just to get into college. AP’s, honors, finishing the relentless amount of homework, all just to look better to prospective colleges, and it all just piles up into a ton of stress. It seems a little silly to me, but you know what? I do it anyways. I couldn’t tell you why, but I do. It seems like thats just how society has changed to be; were always helplessly pushed to get higher SAT scores and do more extracurriculars to impress the colleges. I think as high schoolers, we can all say that we feel your pain. Great job on your post!
-Kevin
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This post is great! I have been faced with the same problems consistently-always hearing that you must take AP, honors, and be SUPER involved. However, I have realized also that it is not just the inner desire for me to be accepted to a great school, but the desire I have to learn in depth and to have a developed intellect. Keep up the work! Only a year and a half left!
Annelise
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Great blog! Even though it seems that colleges only want you to take AP courses because they’re more difficult, I believe they say this for a reason. Not only do you learn how to manage your time, but you also develop a deeper knowledge base by being forced to think at a higher level. I understand that it may seem like a lot work with all of these AP courses, but once you get to college, I think it will pay off. I think it is awesome that you realized this class pushes you to work harder! This mindset will help you as you prepare for college and your future. Keep it up!
Chelsea
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