One of the major controversies of recent times in education is AP classes, as they are becoming less and less popular with university admissions offices, which prioritize other forms of achievement, such as extracurriculars. Furthermore, many students believe that the exam’s grading is arbitrary and does not properly reflect a student’s mastery. All of these factors have led to a widespread decline in the prestige of AP curriculums among students, and in the eyes of college admissions.

I interviewed Dr. Aakash Kumar about AP classes and asked him some common questions to get his perspective. When asked what he thought of AP classes being offered for underclassmen, he said that “They require a larger time commitment and expectation to be an independent learner on the part of the student,” but that he otherwise thinks they can be beneficial for certain underclassmen who can handle such a workload. Personally, I agree with him, as in my own experience taking AP United States History (and some discussion of the matter with Dr. Halloran), it can be difficult but also very rewarding for underclassmen.

Many believe that AP classes are useful for college admissions. In the past it was usually true that AP exams were essential for admission to top colleges, but today the situation is more complex. Dr. Kumar further explained that AP classes can demonstrate to colleges that students have challenged themselves, but other than that, do not serve much greater purpose. Overall, Dr. Kumar does not see AP classes as an exceptional choice for learning or college admissions outcomes, especially in comparison to non-AP honors classes and seminars. Lack of prestige combined with the fact that teachers often find AP curriculums restrictive leaves AP courses looking a lot less appealing. 

As a student I have found that AP curricula can be a helpful tool for learning in language classes, as it sets out very clear standards for achievement. This is less effective in a humanities course such as US history, where it is difficult to fit a complex interpretation of events into the format that the AP demands. Although some of the vaunted prestige of AP as a curriculum has faded, the AP is still a valuable tool in some disciplines, even if it can be somewhat limiting in others.