Honors classes are harder than AP classes.
But maybe not for the reasons you think. In my personal opinion, honors classes are for students who excel in a particular subject and think they can handle more than the traditional curriculum. Students take AP classes for the AP tests, and get AP credits. I’m not denying the fact that there are smart students who are interested in a certain subject partaking in AP classes, I’m just saying that most people take AP classes solely for the weight of the label.
More often than not, the people who take honors classes are also more advanced and hardworking, making the environment in honors classes more competitive. In AP classes, you spend the entire year learning things that are catered to passing a specific type of test. There have been too many times we’ve skipped over a genuinely interesting subject in AP U.S. History just because the College Board doesn’t think it’s important.
AP classes used to be for especially advanced students who could take college-level classes. Now, they are just a GPA boost and stamp on a transcript. It’s not a bad thing, this just comes with the culture of academic validation. Students are so stressed about being academically inclined and getting into “good” colleges that they just do what they think they’re supposed to when it comes to school. Who cares if you hate reading and writing? Having AP Language or AP Literature on your transcript is more important, right?
It’s this way of thinking and the influx of people taking these classes that contribute to why they’re way easier than they should be. Do you want to take a class because you are actually interested in the subject and want to learn as much as you can? Take an honors class.
Love,
Lucy
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