By London Foster
Staff Writer
Mira Costa teachers who teach Advanced Placement classes held a total of 23 informational sessions during office hours and lunch for prospective students from Mar. 2 to Mar. 23 in order for students to better understand the AP class they would be signing up for.
AP courses aren’t required but colleges acknowledge the extra work, Dale said. The course previews help students to get to know the class, while teachers get to see the possible incoming students.
“I think students sometimes jump into taking too much on their plate without realizing the time commitment,” AP Biology teacher Jessica. Bledsoe said. “AP presentations make sure that students make appropriate decisions in terms of their schedules. Going over the information is paramount to their success the following year.”
Since each class has a different level of rigor, according to Bledsoe, these sessions help students learn firsthand about the course, workload, and expectations from the AP teachers themselves. Attending the informational sessions helps students emphasize their commitment to academics.
“My session was beneficial, because the teacher made clear the rigor and the objectives of the class,” sophomore Mackensie Banchik said. “There are always rumors floating around about which classes are hard or easy, but you really don’t know until you talk to the person teaching it.”
According to Dale, many students that feel it is necessary to take AP courses in order to be more competitive for college. The course previews were primarily for informing students of the commitment level these classes entail.
“I think students need to give at least one AP class a try. Decide where your passion is, what you are good at and what are you interested in and go all the way in that thing. You don’t need to put pressure on yourself to take all the APs,” Costa principal Dr. Ben Dale said. “Costa teachers have been holding these sessions for a long time. They’re well attended and very beneficial for kids.”
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