Benefits and Dangers of Advanced Placement Courses

Advanced Placement courses are college-level courses that are taught in a high-school setting which have the potential to count for both high school and college credit. Although AP courses can serve as an advantage to some students by challenging them with appropriate rigor and financial advantages, for many students this level of coursework is inappropriate, and the benefits do not outweigh the costs. AP classes are now viewed as an expectation for high school students and for some students this is an unrealistic expectation. As the AP program ages and more students take AP courses each year, increasing research is available on the benefits and dangers of these courses. This research considers both the academic and personal effects of high school students taking college courses. Both statistical research and personal reflection were considered in order to conclude that AP courses are not appropriate for all high school students even though they are becoming an expectation placed on students