Drop-Out Rate in 2021-2022 School Year Brings Light to Difficulty of AP Classes

With many students dropping out of Advanced Placement and Enriched classes, a pressing question persists: How has the COVID-19 pandemic impacted the student drop rate in these classes? 

AP classes, which are college freshman level courses taught in high school, are known to be both quick-paced and work-intensive. Throughout the year, some students will request level changes down to honors, bringing a bit of light to the difficulty of some of these classes. According to some AP teachers, Andover High School has experienced more students moving down from AP levels this year than ever before.

When one thinks of an AP course, there are a few infamously difficult ones that come to mind: AP U.S. History (often abbreviated to APUSH) and AP Calculus are among the few. But what do actual students and teachers of these classes have to say about them? 

APUSH is a class that is known to be extremely difficult. The pace, depth of content, delivery, and assessments of APUSH are more challenging than what students are used to. “For juniors who are first taking an AP class, it’s quite an adjustment. If you think about it, it’s literally skipping two grades,” said Mary Robb, who taught APUSH up until this year. 

Andover High School junior Bori Kim said, “APUSH is definitely a challenge, but it’s not always hard. The pop quizzes are hard to study for, though, and projects are a lot of work. The key to APUSH is time management.”  

AP Calculus, which is one of the most notoriously difficult AP classes, is split into two levels: AB, which teaches half a year of college calculus in one school year, and BC, which teaches one full year of college calculus in one school year. “AP Calculus specifically is also, for some students, the first time that they struggle with math,” said Megan Mulert, who teaches both Honors Calculus and AP Calculus AB.  “For a lot of students, it’s the first time that they actually have to put in the work and learn how to study.” 

While there are usually only one to two students who drop down from BC to AB, Mulert said she has had around 10 this year. Mulert remarked, “The main skills you need for AP Calculus are algebra II and precalculus, and… most of that for them was during COVID. So, I’ve seen the effects of the pandemic much more this year even than I did last year.”

AP Calculus BC teacher Karen Waters also brought up an important point: although there were many students who moved down this year, there were also many students who were taking courses in a level higher than they were recommended for. This might have played a role in the increased number of students moving down, since they were not well prepared for the rigor of the class. 

Shawna Chu, a senior at AHS, said that AP Calculus BC is especially rigorous because there are no “homework grades or participation grades, so your grade is just however well you do on tests.” 

A couple students interviewed mentioned that APs weren’t as difficult as they thought. Several say that most of the difficulty is self-inflicted. AHS junior Yash Kalwani, who is taking four APs, explained, “Honestly it’s not really a lot of work, it’s just poor time management that leads juniors to struggle with APs.” 

Procrastinating can become an AP student’s worst enemy. AHS junior Annie Song, who is in AP Chemistry, also gave a piece of her advice. She jokingly warned, “Don’t be like me and play nine hours of games before you start homework.” Altogether, the general consensus is that APs definitely require more work and effort than a college prep or honors course. However, as long as you don’t procrastinate, the work shouldn’t become crushingly overwhelming.  Unfortunately, many students are tempted by procrastination and it snowballs into being behind on lots of classwork and homework, which often results in doing poorly on tests. 

AP Tips and Tricks

Although AP classes are infamously difficult, there are many tips and tricks on how to get through these courses while maintaining a good grade.

Interviewed teachers stressed to always ask for help, to be at every class present and participating, and to do homework every night so as to not fall behind. AP Calculus BC teacher Karen Waters mentioned that summer work is important as well, observing that students who really put in the effort to thoroughly do their summer work did better when classes began. 

Mary Robb, an AP U.S. History teacher up until this year, also noted the importance of reaching out for help when needed, mentioning that the students who came to see her during H-block were the ones who showed the most growth throughout the year. 

“If you pay attention in class, you should be pretty set for the tests anyways. I say to not go in over your head because if you end up taking too many APs, that can take up a lot of your time,” junior Annie Song added, “Depending on the person, it can stress you out a lot, so know your boundaries… [and] always make time for yourself.” 

AHS Junior Bori Kim also commented, saying, “Think about which ones may help you in college or [in] the major that you’re thinking of [pursuing].” Being proactive, attentive, and staying on top of your course load is really the secret behind surviving AP courses.