#honors classes

yeah we’re the most childish people ever. My AP history class spent a good 15-20 minutes talking about an imaginary pool and bowling alley that the pope has on the roof of our building and how and when he uses it.

In my honors bio class, we find a way to retaliate everything back to Pokémo, one kid freaked out and ran away because of an uno reverse card, and one kid spent 15 minutes teaching the class about a made up species of tree and it’s predators and where it came from

In my honors english class, we had two friends start calling each other names (in jest), and one kid petulantly refused to say Antigone the right way just cuz

Is it better to take an AP or honors course and get a “B” than it is to take a regular course and get an “A”?

The too-short, oversimplified, tl;dr answer is: yes.

But it’s much more complicated than that.

The real question behind this question is whether or not you should risk taking a certain AP or honors course if you think there’s a good chance you won’t get an A. There are two concerns in play here. On the one hand, you need a high GPA to get into the most competitive universities. On the other hand, you also need to have a rigorous course load that includes AP and honors courses.

The ideal is that you would get all A’s with a ton of AP and honors courses. For most students, this isn’t possible. Be honest with yourself: how many of these rigorous courses can you handle while still maintaining a high GPA?

If you want to gain admission to competitive colleges and universities, you need to take some AP and honors courses. But that doesn’t necessarily mean you should always opt for AP or honors, especially if it’s a subject you’re not particularly skilled at or interested in.

How many AP or honors classes should you take? That depends on what year you’re in, what your goals are, and how much work you can handle. The key to answering all these questions is self-awareness.

What are you passionate about? What are you good at? Where do you want to go to college? These are the kinds of questions you need to be asking to be as successful as you can be in high school.

The top Ivy League applicants will typically take 4–6 AP courses in their junior year. But there is no quick and easy answer to how many you should take. Not everyone can get into an Ivy League school, and there is a strong argument to be made that most students—even the “best and brightest”—should not go to an Ivy League school.

You should take no more AP an honors courses than you can handle while still achieving a high GPA.

What you absolutely want to avoid is transcript padding. Some applicants will cruise to easy A’s taking no AP or honors courses at all. That will not impress most admissions committees.

As Kiley explains in his article How Many AP Classes is Enough?, you should “take as many of the most rigorous classes available to you as you can as long as you can do well in them.” At most competitive universities, 7–12 total AP courses over the course of your entire high school career will be recognized as a rigorous course load.

Back to the original question: if you have your heart set on a top-tier institution, then chances are you will have to risk a B in an AP or honors course at some point. What this will communicate to admissions committees is effort, rigor, and interest.

You should absolutely take AP and honors courses in classes that align with your proposed major or minor, and you should add to that list any subject that you find interesting.

Again, you don’t want to avoid AP and honors courses just to keep your GPA up; that approach could communicate a lack of rigor and effort. But you also don’t want to risk getting a C in an AP course, either.

Long story short: it is absolutely worth occasionally risking a B in an AP or honors course, as long as you’re also mixing in a healthy dose of A’s.

I’m so close to finishing my applications! Also, I have been loving my Tess of the d'urbervilles novel. I just need three more chapters and I’m done.

P.S: sorry if I’m annoying y’all with selfies. Lately, I’ve been falling back into my eating disorder and selfies are a way to remind myself that I am worth it. A little self love never hurt nobody ❤️

I’ve compiled a list of small, but effective things you can do in order to improve your grades. I hope this helps at least one person :)) 

1. Expand your resources 

  - Go to your local library to study when you get the chances     Sometimes changing your environment can help you study more efficiently.

2. Review your material every day   - You do not have to completely review everything all the time, but     skimming your notes so nothing slips from your minds. 

3. Change your class habits   - Try sitting in the front of your class instead of the back if you have the option. Most may not like this, but I've found sitting in the front beneficial. When I sit in the back, I tend to not pay attention. By making yourself sit in the front you'll pay more attention (especially if you’re right in front of your teacher), and possibly ask more questions and get the grades you want. 

4. Join a study group   - Whether it be a group of two or five, find a group of people who have the same academic goals as you. Study groups can be very helpful for studying and overall motivation if you're at a loss.

5. Prioritize your time   - Not every class requires the same amount of work, and you should find out what classes you need to spend most of your time on. You will have to spend extra time and effort to get that good grade. That being said, don’t shy away from hard classes. Challenging yourself is great, it’s worth it. 

Since I’ve been in advanced classes since fourth grade (and testing for them since third—gross) I wanna make a small guide for choosing if they’re right for you!

•THEY LOOK GREAT ON COLLEGE APPLICATIONS BUT.... they’re incredibly stressful. In IB/AP/Honor level classes, the workload is often trippled and expectations are exponentially higher. Don’t overload yourself just because it’ll impress a college board.

•ORGANIZATION IS KEY... Oftentimes (at younger ages) students will be placed in advanced classes because they’re organized. This isn’t always the case, but it helps to have all of your assignments done neatly if you take these classes

•PROCRASTINATION WILL KILL YOU... Sure, a lot of advanced students procrastinate, but that’s because they think they can because they’re “advanced.” Especially if they’ve been in those classes for a long time. Just do your homework immediately, it sounds boring but it’s worth it!

•BE POLITE TO TEACHERS... There’s a good reason smart kids are often “suck-ups” and that’s because they know when to ask for help and how to do it politely. Not only that but being polite makes an amazing first impression, which does wonders in the long run.

•MAKE FRIENDS IN THOSE CLASSES... They’ll probably save your ass. A lot of the times advanced kids form a group to help each other remember deadlines and help with homework. This can minimize your stress.