Advanced Placement courses (or AP courses), are a series of programs created by College Board (the same company that runs the SAT exam), that focus on providing collegiate level coursework for high school students. At the end of one of these courses, students take an exam and, (should they score well on a 1-5 scale) can get college credit based on the policies of a university/college. The programs provided are wide ranging and include; world languages/culture, natural sciences, social studies, English, arts, mathematics, etc. It’s really a decent idea that everyone should take advantage of if they can.

AP courses here at Cabell Midland have, from my time here, been very enjoyable (I’ve taken AP Psychology and English Language, plus I’m currently taking AP US Government and Literature). Firstly, Cabell County Schools takes on the expenses, so students don’t pay for the test or the course. The only requirement is that students take the exam and maintain acceptable grades. What’s essentially a free shot at college credit is a solid offer on its own in my book. AP courses are weighted here as well, so if you’re a scholarly individual and wish to improve your GPA, AP can help with that as well. As for the college credit you can get, Marshall and WVU have a pretty fair system for earning credits for their courses; for example, by scoring a 4 on both the AP English and AP Literature exams, you can earn many English credits at Marshall. Finally, most of the courses are simply enjoyable in their content.

To conclude, I highly recommend taking AP courses in areas you find interesting, (assuming you’re up to the challenge–because don’t get me wrong – they are challenging). Overall, if you have the work ethic and drive, AP can be a great way to boost your academic career.