We are living in a time where everyone is playing the most competitive sport: high school. Students take on many courses, athletics, and extracurricular activities to make themselves look appealing to colleges and universities. One of the many popular options includes Advanced Placement® (AP) courses. These college-level classes allow students to earn college credit by passing an exam held in May. It’s widely recognized across the nation and typically offered to high school students from grades 10-12.

At James Madison High School, we do something a little different. Since the fall of 2023 (the start of the class of 2027), freshmen enrolled in Madison’s Law Institute were automatically placed into AP Human Geography. The Law Institute is an honors program designed to focus on the development of understanding legal principles and the Constitution. It is a screened program that selects students based on overall academic readiness and their state test scores from 7th and 8th grade. These skills can be further developed through the teachings of AP Human Geography by strengthening their analytical skills and their understanding of how society is structured. 

The goal of implementing this course was to teach students the themes of law and how they’re intertwined with geography through the teachings of immigration, political boundaries, sovereignty, and centrifugal and centripetal forces. Of course, as many changes do, this received mixed reactions from the student body. 

While many were excited to be offered such an opportunity, others weren’t so sure about it. Many felt that they would be ahead of the game and would enjoy taking an advanced course so early on. It gave them a chance to become accustomed to rigorous classes from the start, and they’d eventually feel comfortable taking more challenging ones throughout their high school career. 

On the other hand, this wasn’t the case for many other freshmen. Several students felt that they walked into the class unprepared, not realizing the effort required to complete the coursework. They felt as though it only increased the amount of stress that was already present by being in a new environment and adjusting to its nature. The divide has reached a point where it’s being considered whether freshmen should be able to take AP courses or not.

“Freshmen should be able to take AP’s since it increases their experience and it looks great on college applications,” said Aydin Soong (Law ‘28). “With how competitive college admissions are today, it puts students ahead and strengthens their background.”

Anush Mnatsakanova (‘28) stated that “Taking AP classes early on gets you used to them.” She shares the idea of getting used to the rigor and the coursework. She finds that once you finish an AP class, “You get a better understanding of your strengths and weaknesses and you know which AP courses you feel most comfortable taking.”

Similarly, Michelle Nathanson (‘28) had said about the same, but she added that “There should be some sort of filtration system,”  While all freshmen should be given the liberty of taking an advanced course, there should be specific AP’s that they can do.” Nathanson also includes that AP Human Geography is a good starting point, but students should also be able to seek other courses, such as AP Biology.

But although quite a few students find comfort in knowing they have such an opportunity, other students find the pressure to become overwhelming, and many critique the requirement of AP Human Geography for freshmen law students.

“It just adds so much more pressure to incoming freshmen,” Madison Johnson (‘28). She emphasizes the importance of students focusing on general courses and extracurricular activities. Johnson also includes the difficulty of being in a new environment and how the extra course can negatively affect young minds due to the stress. “I think that students should really just focus on extracurricular activities, sports, and overall finding what they’re most interested in.”

 Classmates Joey Zhou (‘28) and Gabriella Weinstein (‘28) both share a similar opinion. Both said, “It adds way too much stress on the freshmen.” Mutually, they said that they walked in blindly on the first day of school, not knowing what they signed up for. 

Sarah St. Jean (Law ‘27) showed a brighter perspective on taking AP’s so early, calling it “one of the most rewarding experiences” that she’s had here at Madison. She brings light to the fact that taking an AP class built her self-confidence and proved to her that she was “capable of handling more.”

Ultimately, the decision should lie with the student. If AP courses were made accessible as an option rather than a requirement. In doing so, schools can set up an environment where students are supported both academically and mentally, allowing every student to be set up for success and have full creative freedom over their future.