Miami Senior High School has some of the most influential students in the county, so it’s no wonder they shoot for the stars when it comes to their academics. 14 Advanced Placement classes, from AP English and AP Chemistry to AP 2D Art, can give you college credits free of charge and are offered here for students to take full advantage of this opportunity.

Advanced Placement

This year alone Miami High offers AP classes to about 700 students, said Advanced Academics director Dr. Hueck, and most of them will be taking an AP exam at the end of the course.

“The highest score you can earn on an AP exam is a 5 and the minimum for passing is a 3,” said Dr. Hueck. “In order to see whether or not you can receive the college credit, you must check with the college where you’re applying. Some schools may accept a 3, and some may not.”

AP Classes are very rigorous but they are very beneficial and can make students stand out when applying for college. The best part of AP courses is that you don’t have to be at the top of your class to take one, but you do need to be ready to work.

As stated on the College Board website, “You’ll want to be prepared for the AP course you choose. Some AP classes have recommended courses you should take first, and all AP courses ask that you come willing to do your best work.”

Why AP?

Students take AP for different reasons. Junior Alvaro Espinoza- Hueck, who is currently taking AP Chemistry, AP Research, and AP US History, stated, “I took them so that I won’t have to take them once I get to college; plus, it’s less money for me to pay.”

Junior Britney Alpizar, who is taking AP Chemistry, AP English Lang. and Comp., and AP Research, wants to get ahead in school and not have to pay for her general education classes once she goes to college.

Junior Ariel Trueba, who is currently taking AP US History, AP English Lang. and Comp., and AP Research, stated, “I wanted to learn more about the different rigorous courses offered and prepare myself for college and taking AP allows me to do so.”

Junior Daymee Huerta said that after taking an honors Psychology class, she really enjoyed the subject and wanted to learn more, so she decided to take AP Psychology.

The AP credit received at the end of the course once the class is over is the goal for many students. Sophomore Bryan Alfonso, who takes AP Spanish, said, “I took an AP class because I wanted the AP credit, and it looks good on a college resume.”

Pros and Cons of Being an AP Student

Being that AP classes are college level, they aren’t very easy and put students through a lot more work than your average high school class, but the students seem to manage and push themselves to the end of the course.

Junior Liset Acuna, who is taking AP English Lang and Comp., likes how taking an AP student class challenges her.  Similarly, junior Nelly Alvarado, who takes AP English Lang. and Comp. and AP Spanish Literature, likes the amount of responsibility AP gives her because it pushes her to study and do better in her classes.

Senior Vanessa Jaime, who takes AP Art, AP Chemistry, and AP English Literature, said, “My favorite part of AP is the small class sizes, and because the classes aren’t crowded, you get to build a better relationship with your teacher.”

On the other hand, senior Karina Garcia, who took AP Spanish Language, said that her least favorite part of taking an AP class was the amount of homework they received and the amount of time they had to turn it in.

Junior Adalain Sans, who is currently taking AP English Language and Composition and AP Spanish Literature, doesn’t like how the vast amount of work that is given is also very time consuming. “I’m a student leader which makes it a bit more difficult on the time, but I always manage to pull through,” she said.

The End Result

A school year doesn’t give students a lot of time to reflect on the amount of progress they’ve made in a class because of how quickly it goes by. During the year the people who really see the progress being made in classes are the teachers.

AP English Literature teacher Ms. Puentes stated, “I have seen many of my students enter my class somewhat insecure about their writing and reading ability, and when they leave in June, they are much more confident in their abilities.  So I do see growth in my students whether or not they pass the test in May. I do believe no matter the result, they leave better prepared to tackle their college classes.”

AP Capstone Seminar and Research teacher Dr. DeNight said that at the beginning of the year many of his AP students want to drop the class and some do, but those that stick around and go through with the class get a lot of support from their teacher and at the end of the year produce very well-written research papers.

AP English Lang. and Comp. teacher Mr. Montesano said that his AP students come into his class at a higher level than they were expected to be in their tenth-grade English classes, and by the end of his course they’ve made huge leaps in their writing and comprehension skills.