Last year, 253 students took Advanced Placement (AP) tests at Orono High School. However, the number of AP tests administered at Orono last year was 494; many students who are taking AP classes are taking more than one. In 2009, there were 196 students tested. The AP program is clearly growing at Orono.

In the past, students would take one or two AP classes throughout their high school careers. However, with the declining college admission rates and increased competition for acceptance, students have started taking more and more AP courses. Orono is now offering 16 AP classes, from AP Computer Science to AP US History.

There are many benefits to AP classes. They increase your weighted grade point average, prepare you for more difficult classes, give you college credit and can help you find a career sooner. However, AP classes are not something that should be taken lightly.

AP classes are extremely time-consuming and can cause a problem when added onto the other responsibilities that a high school student has. This effect is multiplied when students take multiple AP classes. Students may find themselves buried in the amount of work required of them, and this can cause other problems.

The amount of responsibilities that kids are asked to undertake may cause extreme stress and can even cause nervous breakdowns or other such problems. Even the most academically talented students may find themselves struggling to get everything done.

In addition to sports, work, volunteering, homework, family, a social life and whatever else a student needs to do on a daily basis, AP students are expected to do college-level schoolwork and are also expected to take the difficult AP test for their subject in May.

Success varies in AP classes as well. For example, 100 percent of students who took the Calculus BC exam last year got a passing score of a 3 or higher. On the other hand, only 49 percent of test takers passed the AP Statistics exam last year. Eighty-three percent of all exams taken at Orono were passed, but only 53 percent of students passed at least one AP test. Plus, many schools don’t accept scores lower than a 4 on an AP test.

Although students may suffer from the overburdening that AP classes provide, year after year, students survive and overcome their difficulties. If students are willing to give up all of their time for academic purposes, more power to them.

However, students must be aware of the consequences of taking an AP class before signing up. First of all, time is necessary in order to take these classes, so if a student has prior commitments after school it may be difficult for them to keep up with the course load. Secondly, the entire class is building up to the AP test, so one should make sure they are prepared for it, or else the entire year will be a waste of time and no college credit will be earned for the effort.

Students should take AP classes that interest them. The class should be something that the student is good at and enjoys, because otherwise the class may be torture for them. Students believe they can survive a schedule packed with four or even five AP classes, but the recommended amount of AP classes should be around one or two a year.

So if anyone is considering taking an AP class next year, make sure you know what you’re up against. You may find that a schedule change is in order after seeing what the course entails.