Each year around the same time, students crowd the guidance office for one reason; next year’s schedule. Sorting through the Program of Studies booklet, they must create a balanced timetable of all their classes for the upcoming year.

As high school students approach their junior year, a choice lies ahead of them: whether to take college preparatory, honors, or AP level courses. This choice is not a simple one. Students want their coursework to be interesting and challenging, but not overwhelming,

Compared to college preparatory classes, or CP classes, honors courses are more rigorous and go into more detail on the subject of the class. But each teacher is different, so the content of the class varies slightly from teacher to teacher.

AP is short for Advanced Placement; these are courses run by the College Board. AP classes are taught at a college level to provide a chance for students to receive college credit. Receiving college credit in high school opens up space in your future college schedule, and potentially saves a college course’s worth of money.

However, College Board is known for their excessive fees which contradicts their mission statement. According to the College Board website, it is a “mission-driven not-for-profit organization that connects students to college success and opportunity.” Some might disagree, believing the College Board fees are unnecessary.

“The College Board monopolizes honors classes and forces you to pay too much for the test.”

— Lydia Sgouros,Senior

Senior Lydia Sgouros said, “College Board monopolizes honors classes and forces you to pay too much for the test.” However, others believe that paying $90 for a test is the better choice than paying hundreds for a semester-long college course.

The upside to AP courses is that the material is the same no matter where you are. Teachers of AP courses must follow the College Board course material requirements which allows for the content on the AP test to be consistent nationwide.

Whether you choose honors or AP classes, the choice is based off your personal preference. If you enjoy courses which tend to go further into detail, an honors course might be the right choice for you. If you want the chance to receive college credit, and don’t mind standardized class material, an AP class would be the best choice.