Sluggishly, you crawl out of bed at six in the morning, getting ready to go get extra help on the latest impossible chapter in math.  After listening attentively to the not-much-help assistance, you go from class to class, only to be mentally tried to the max in every subject.  Lunch comes, but not as a break; you cram in the extra homework on which you fell asleep on the previous late night, just hoping to not fail the paper with a painful late grade.  You make it through the afternoon classes in a worn out stupor and at last head for the door after hearing the shrill ring of the bell.  You come home.  You’re exhausted after the demanding day at school.  Every spare moment must be used on homework.  Even with all of your hard work, you must stay up for hours that night, working on seemingly impossible homework.  Falling asleep on your desk, you begin to re-energize and dream fearfully of the test the next day.

                Though this may be an exaggeration of the schedule of an AP student, not many high school students are up for this challenge.  The easy way out is usually chosen: take the classes with the least effort required.  But is this really the right choice?  Wesley Wingo, majoring in chemical engineering as a freshman at UT, said he’s glad that he took so many AP classes at Randall.

                “I feel that AP classes have gotten me fairly prepared for college classes,” Wingo said.

                This assistance to Wingo’s college career has come at a price, though, he said.

                “The AP workload requires a lot more time and effort, which prepares you more for college,” Wingo said.

                Wingo said that everyone should take advantage of the great opportunity that AP classes give to students.

                “[AP classes] are scheduled to teach you more in the same amount of time,” Wingo said.

                With the extra work, Wingo said that good study habits are a must.

                “[AP classes] just give you a lot of homework that you have to stay on top of,” Wingo said.  “[I’d recommend to] keep up with your work.”

                Financial benefits are vast, Wingo said.

                “Anyone has the ability to get college credit at a substantially lower cost, they just have to be ready to put in the work,” Wingo said.

                Wingo said that it is possible to earn up to 35 hours of college credit in high school, but you must take an AP test for any class in which you want credit.

                “You need to score a minimum of three to get credit in to most colleges, but a four or five indicates a better grasp of the material and readiness to move on to the next level,” Wingo said.

                Wingo said that it’s really up to the student and their capabilities whether they should take AP classes.

                “It’s just really beneficial to take all of the AP classes you can,” Wingo said.