The school year is now well and truly in full swing — clubs have started, teachers have given tests and countless pages of homework and sports teams have played many games.

    Students taking Advanced Placement (AP) courses will have more studying to do than most because those courses are college level. I’m among the group of high school students taking AP courses this year.

    AP is a program created by the College Board that is unique to Canada and the United States. They are college-level courses in a wide variety of subjects that are available throughout high school. At the end of each school year, distinct AP exams must be taken by all AP students in order for them to potentially gain college credit. Essentially, if an AP student scores highly enough on the exam, he or she may have already fulfilled that course requirement before ever being accepted to a university.

    Among the available AP courses are AP chemistry, AP U.S. history, AP music theory, AP art history, AP statistics, AP psychology, AP English language and composition, AP Latin, French, Spanish, Japanese, Italian…

    This year, I am taking AP biology and AP U.S. government. In AP biology, we are required to perform certain laboratory experiments and exercises that we will be tested on in May. This class is more fast-paced than I am accustomed to, but learning about concepts that apply directly to my life is both exciting and fascinating.

    AP U.S. government is equally intriguing. Following a brief but broad history of the United States, this class studies the structure, purpose, and conflicts in the United States government. It’s especially applicable this year because it is a midterm election year. I’ve only been in class for three weeks, but I’ve already learned so much in all my classes, especially these two. The amount of information I’ve absorbed is nearly overwhelming, but the thrill of learning so much and hopefully receiving college credit for the courses is a true experience! In May, when it’s time for exams, I’ll most likely be poring over my notes late into the night, accompanied by a cup of coffee and my textbooks — but both my AP teachers insist that the exams will be a breeze! Having said that, it’s time to get studying again.