Freshman year is a year to get used to how things work in high school—but some kids go straight into the stress of taking an AP class from being fresh out of eighth grade.
According to counselor Jamie Simon-Meyer, currently 63 freshman are taking an AP class this year. Over 90% are taking AP Human Geography
thier first year of high school.
Are freshmen really ready for this?
Freshman Kali Solomon, who is taking AP Human Geography, said she’s enjoyed the class so far, but it can be challenging at times.
“You need a lot of background knowledge that you don’t fully have until you take other history classes later on in high school,” she said.
AP classes take a lot of commitment and time, according to AP Human Geography teacher Joseph Schwab.
“Freshmen taking this AP course tend to be a little bit more anxious of what the class entails,” he said. “Whereas by the time you get to like senior year, you’re a little bit more well-versed in understanding what the protocol is and what is expected of you.”
Most freshmen are doing well in this class, Schwab said, but it can be a lot on these students their very first year at high school.
There are some high schools that don’t allow their students to take an AP class before their sophomore year, including Palisades Charter High School and Culver City High School.
Simon-Meyer said that she feels there are some AP classes that are appropriate for freshmen to take, such as AP Human Geography.
“AP Human Geography is a really great introductory course,” said Simon-Meyer.
If you choose to take an AP course, you need to be prepared to have good time management, collaborate with peers, have strong study skills, and be organized.
Freshman Lumi Cushing said that she’s been able to keep up with expectations in AP Human Geography; it’s taught her to think critically about real world problems, too.
“Even though it can be hard at times, AP Human Geography is definitely worth it,” she said.
