Lodi AP students driven to succeed
As the college application process becomes more competitive each year, many students feel pressure from both their parents and themselves to take as many Advanced Placement (AP) classes as possible to raise their GPAs. This is not always the case, however, according to Tokay High School counselor John Hunt, who says that students can end up stretching themselves too thin and end up failing the AP classes.
“It’s all about what you can do well. I advise balance, and so does Stanford University. Someone loading up on AP classes might not be able to do well in their volunteer work or athletics,” says Hunt.
The AP program offers college-level classes and tests to high school students, with many colleges and universities offering course placement and credit to students who score high on the exams.
Lodi High School, for example, offers AP classes as well as honors classes, which are generally aimed at preparing freshmen for AP-level courses in addition to college preparation classes that are being integrated into the general education courses, according to AP human geography teacher Greg Wright.
The expectations from both students and parents are higher in AP classes, but all of the students are aware that they are taking college-level courses. Students who receive a score of 3, 4 or 5 on the AP examination at the end of the year also receive three transferable college credits for that class, although some Ivy League schools will only accept a grade of 4 or 5, Wright says.
Students who plan on taking AP classes in high school must be willing to read a large amount of material throughout the year, explains Wright. Those who do so are more likely to have a more comprehensive understanding of the material when the time comes for them to take the test, which Wright says is not cheap.
“If you’re going to pay $93 to take the test, be diligent with the work. You can’t get by just doing the homework,” says Wright.
Even students who do not pass the exam can benefit from AP classes, as Wright also noted instances of former students returning from college who reported a deeper knowledge of the course material for classes in which they had previously failed the AP exams. Lodi High, Wright explains, focuses more on ensuring that its AP students learn the material, instead of simply preparing them to pass the exams. Additionally, the school has a high percentage of English as a Second Language (ESL) students in AP classes.
“Everybody who’s willing to do the work should be able to take the class,” says Wright.
AP students at both Lodi and Tokay high schools share some of the same motivations for taking the classes, such as challenging themselves, preparing for college and earning college credits as well as interest in the subject matter itself.
As many of the students also participate in sports, clubs, churches and even hold afterschool jobs, they have to plan their schedules carefully, spending every spare minute studying, doing homework or preparing for projects.
Ahmad Arif, 17, is a junior at Tokay High, taking AP literature, environmental science, calculus B/C and government and economics, and is trying to get into AP psychology. He is also on the varsity basketball team and president of the National Honors Society (NHS), and works at Sammy’s Kitchen after school. He balances all of these commitments by practicing self-discipline, doing homework whenever and wherever he can. He plans to study law at San Jose State University. He advises students considering taking AP classes not to procrastinate, get to know their teachers and start on large projects early.
“Even a little spark can ignite the rest of your assignment,” says Arif.
Ravneet Rajasansi, 16, a junior at Tokay High, is taking AP biology, English, environmental science, U.S. history, calculus B/C and art history. She is also involved in the Science Olympiad, is the secretary for the National Honors Society, and plays volleyball outside of school. She plans to study medicine in college to become a doctor, and warns potential AP students against procrastination.
“Be persistent, don’t let yourself get behind or work will start piling up. Stay on top of it, and don’t let yourself be intimidated” says Rajasansi.
Jazmine Marin, 16, a Tokay High junior, is taking AP U.S. history, environmental science and psychology, and says that she enjoys learning about colonialism in the U.S. history class, as her grandfather is Native American and she can relate things that she learns in class to his life experiences. She is also on the varsity wrestling and softball teams, and works at Strings as a hostess.
“Stay organized, and take advantage of any time you have to study. Be prepared for the challenges, don’t procrastinate and have good time-management skills,” says Marin.
Jason Paglin, a 17-year-old Tokay High junior, is currently taking AP U.S. history, English and environmental science, and hopes to get into calculus A/B soon. He is also taking an anatomy class that, although it is not an AP course, he says is taught like one. He also plays on the varsity water polo team, and is involved in the STEAM and robotics clubs.
“You go to sports and clubs in person, then do homework until you don’t have anymore. I don’t study a lot, and I still do well on tests, but others study until they can’t study anymore,” says Paglin.
Rachel Avellar, a 16-year-old Lodi High junior, is taking AP psychology and AP U.S. history. She is also on the varsity basketball and track teams and the junior varsity cross country team. She finds the lack of sleep and social life challenging, and advises prospective AP students to remain diligent in their work.
“There are no second chances, so make sure you do it right the first time,” says Avellar.
Katie Petersen, another 16-year-old junior from Lodi High, is taking AP U.S. history, AP psychology and AP English. She also plays varsity volleyball and is president of Friday Night Live, a service-based club focused on drug and alcohol prevention. She finds the intense workload challenging, and advises students to motivate themselves to succeed.
“You really have to push yourself, but you can succeed in AP classes even if you don’t take the test,” says Petersen.
Sofia Demsky, a 17-year-old senior at Lodi High taking AP psychology, AP calculus A/B, AP literature and AP environmental science, also plays varsity golf and is involved with the California Scholarship Federation, National Honors Society and a Christian club on campus. She finds poetry analysis in the literature class to be the most challenging and advises students to view their teachers as one of the most useful resources for success.
“It’s challenging stuff, but the teachers are so helpful that you’re bound to do well,” says Demsky.
Ryan Taylor, another 17-year-old Lodi High senior, is taking AP literature and composition, AP calculus A/B and AP U.S. government and politics. He is involved with the school’s political club, The Temple Baptist Church Worship Team and leads one of Lodi High’s Christian clubs. He spends an average of two hours on homework for each class each night, in addition to 30 minutes on vocabulary for his Government class. He finds the reading annotations for the literature and composition class to be the most challenging, although he enjoys reading on his own time. He advises students considering AP classes to not be intimidated by the program’s reputation.
“Go for it, it’s not as bad as it’s made out to be. The worst that can happen is you don’t pass the AP exam,” says Taylor.
Evan Bradley Webb, 17, is a senior at Lodi High taking AP calculus A/B and AP psychology. He plays on the varsity baseball team and is involved with the Tutoring Club and Taking Real Leadership, which helps freshmen transition from middle school to high school. He finds studying for tests to be challenging, especially understanding vocabulary terms for the psychology class.
“I don’t think you can wing it. Tests are $93 each, so make sure you want that workload for college credit before signing up,” says Taylor.