Picture this: the school year hasn’t started yet, but you’ve received your schedule after a long wait. You may find classes that you’ve signed up for, and maybe even a few that you didn’t, but strangely enough, there’s a class you don’t even recognize.
For me, that was AP Integrated Seminar.
An AP (Advanced Placement) class is a college-level course that high school students can take to earn college credit by completing an optional AP test at the end of the year.
AP courses are notably harder than regular courses and contain more work. Instead of following a normal curriculum, AP courses are usually focused entirely on getting students ready to take the AP test at the end of the year. At the end of the year, if students signed up for it, they will take an AP exam that is relevant to the course that they were taking, and depending on their score, they will be awarded a 1-5.
Getting a 4-5 on the AP test gives you multiple college credits, and the number you get varies depending on the college you enroll in.
College credit allows you to get a head start in college by letting you skip some courses, meaning getting a high score on the AP test is crucial.
Not only do AP courses give you college credit after you take the AP test, but they are really valuable to have on your transcript. Colleges look out for students who challenge themselves. Going out of your way to take an AP course, even if you get a mediocre grade, is good because colleges will know you put in effort, making you more likely to be accepted to your college of choice.
AP Integrated Seminar is a new course at the Hazelwood School District. It’s a study hall-like class where students are encouraged to complete assignments they haven’t during the school day.
In adding this course to the lineup, Hazelwood wishes to give students time to work on AP assignments, increase AP scores, and hopefully increase the amount of students taking AP courses.
10th grader Diamond Elam has a positive opinion on AP Integrated Seminar.
“I feel like it’s a good class in that it most definitely helps with other AP classes because I can come in here and do my work,” Elam.
AP Integrated Seminar benefits students who may be overwhelmed by the sheer amount of assignments they get.
On top of a bigger workload due to AP classes following a college-level curriculum geared towards the AP test, students also have an additional seven classes to think about, on top of their normal life. Eight classes is a lot, and a class that gives students a breather is much appreciated.
Another 10th grader claims AP Integrated Seminar made school easier for them.
“It makes school easier in my opinion because when you have overwhelming amounts of work, you just come in here and do all that, and it’s not as overwhelming as it would be without this class,” they said.
Personally, as a student taking it in my junior year, I have never been more grateful for the class. I am currently taking my first few AP courses this year, and AP Integrated Seminar has taken a load off of my shoulders.
I get a lot of assignments from just about everywhere, and they take time to complete; AP Integrated Seminar gives me that time to finish what I missed and more.
Cynthia Bober, the facilitator of an AP Integrated Seminar class thinks the class is helpful.
“I believe that all AP students need a time to collaborate with their peers and work on their AP assignments, but also work on their other assignments because AP takes up a large chunk of their life because it’s a lot of work,” said Bober.
AP Integrated Seminar is an overall benefit to students taking AP courses and hopefully, it’s here to stay.
