“The most rigorous course load possible.” This phrase rings in the ears of nearly all selective- college hopefuls. But who is to say what the most rigorous course load looks like? Colleges view students in the context of their school, and for CHS students, this means in the context of 21 possible AP classes. The question is how many is too many. With talks of a possible quota on the number of AP classes students at CHS can take, the issue becomes more complicated than simply that of a “rigorous course load.”
Senior Noam Kantor feels the pressure from colleges to achieve a competitive enough transcript. But for Kantor, who is currently taking five AP classes, the depth of information that these courses provide outweighs the stress.
“I really love the sciences so it gave me a chance to spend a huge chunk of my day doing the sciences,” Kantor said. “At some points it was stressful, but most of the time I could look forward to being in science classes and doing labs.”
Kantor took the AP Biology AP Chemistry combined course his junior year. The number of students enrolled in this course is a record-high this year, with nearly 80 students in the class. Sally Lazaroff teaches AP Biology, and she does not see that the stress students are feeling is from taking multiple AP classes, but from extracurricular activities.
“The students in multiple AP classes are capable of the work expected,” Lazaroff said. “They are also the students making the most of their high school experience.”
Neither Lazaroff nor Kantor support a quota on the number of AP classes students can take simply because they think that there would be too many parent overrides and student exceptions for the quota to work.
College counselor Carolyn Blair believes that a quota would be good for alleviating the stress that students feel, but that everyone would have to be on board. Blair sees first-hand the extent of the pressure students feel to fulfill the most rigorous course load possible.
“There are some students who can handle it beautifully,” Blair said. “But the masses are just not wired. Part of the issue is that you are still kids and the lack of sleep alone is detrimental.”
Blair feels that the issue of building up resumes is one of mental health. The majority of students are not able to handle the pressure, so a quota would help to equalize the playing field. However, as long as Clayton offers a large number of AP classes, colleges will want to see that students are taking as many as possible.
Blair describes an instance 15 years ago when she called a college admissions office to ask why they did not accept a particular student.
“They told me she did not have enough AP classes,” Blair said. “That was the beginning of the end.”
AP test scores are a way for colleges to standardize the course load and gauge the preparation of students. Blair describes the environment as CHS regarding AP courses as an “arms race,” but she accepts her inevitable role in contributing to the stress that students feel.
“We can’t complain about how students are so stressed if we are contributing to that stress factor,” Blair said.
Principal Dan Gutchewsky agrees with Blair that the larger issue is stress. However, Gutchewsky sees a stronger alternative to an AP quota to address the stress issue.
“I think it’s important that we help parents recognize the signs of stress and help them find ways of coping with the stress,” Gutchewsky said. “We are looking at ways of engaging the community.”
Gutchewsky is open to the conversation about a possible AP quota, but he sees a limit on the classes students can take as detrimental to individualization.
“There are a significant number of kids each year that successfully navigate multiple AP classes,” Gutchewsky said. “The larger issue is helping parents and kids to say when is it not healthy to take so many courses.”
Both Gutchewsky and Blair recognize the pride factor of taking AP classes. Junior Adam Zoll, who is currently taking the AP Biology AP Chemistry combined course, sees some of his peers taking AP classes for the wrong reasons.
“A lot of people take AP classes for the sake of AP credit,” Zoll said. “But really they should be taking advanced courses for their own sake to enrich their education and pursue their interests.”
The competitive culture is not unique to Clayton. For now, there is no consensus on whether Clayton should have a quota or not. As long as Clayton provides a large number of AP courses, the cycle will continue as colleges will expect to see many AP classes and students will feel the pressure to fulfill that expectation.