The Best Classes to Choose for 2023-2024
If you had the chance to change your fate, would you?
As the seniors prepare to fly the nest, the young raptors—fledglings if you will—must face the fact that they have more years within the confines of Academic Magnet High School on the horizon. This means that class choice time is quickly approaching, and Ms. Pinckney will have the pleasure of guiding the freshmen and firmly reminding returning students to sign up for their classes for the 2023-2024 school year. This time period can be nerve-wracking for the indecisive, frightening for the unguided, and not for the faint of heart. So, here I am to serve as your expert advisor on which classes you should choose to have the best year possible at AMHS.
INCOMING SENIORS
While class rigor is important for college apps, sure, now is the time to relax. Rising seniors— me and your future self are begging you to NOT overload your schedule for next year. If you want some manageable AP’s to take, I would tell you that AP US Government and AP Macroeconomics are your best bet. Both are only one semester long with course material that is reasonable for the average AMHS student. At the end of the day, US Government and Economics credits are required to graduate, so why not use these predetermined slots in your schedule as a way to demonstrate your dedication to rigor.
Honestly, taking an AP science class right now would be a mistake. The only option I could recommend is AP Environmental Science, and even then I would avoid it unless you want to major in something in that realm. AP Physics, Chemistry, and Biology should be avoided at all costs. And please do not be fooled by Anatomy. A fun non-AP class with cool dissections? No. With a course-load like a college class, complex material, and never ending projects, quizzes, and test, this class is a true red herring to the creme-de-la-creme senior science class: Marine Science. Please keep your eyes on the prize and take Marine Science for your science credit.
Do not bother yourself with an AP language during senior year. Trust me, take honors English and honors Spanish/French. You’ll thank me later. Most colleges will only accept one AP english credit (AP Lang or AP Lit) so if you’ve already taken AP Lang save yourself the trouble of another AP english class.
When it comes to math, if you enjoy math I would recommend any of the calculus courses (Honors Calc, AP AB Calc, AP BC Calc) depending on how much you like math and how much you like suffering. For the average math fan: Honors Calc. For a potential STEM major: AP AB Calc. For the math fanatic (and psychopath): AP BC Calc. While I can’t say I recommend AP Statistics, Honors Statistics is the perfect easy class for math haters.
INCOMING JUNIORS
Oh, the infamous junior year. I am going to be blunt with you all, your junior year will be excruciating no matter how you construct your class schedule. However, if I had to give you one word of advice, it would be to GET PHYSICS OVER WITH! I am assuming some—although not all— of you are in the same boat with me when I say I have no interest in physics. Although my experience with physics at AMHS was nothing short of a fever dream, considering my current standings (crippling senioritis) I am very grateful that I got that required credit checked off of my list.
If you want to add some enjoyability to your schedule, I would definitely recommend taking AP Psychology. Although there are a lot of terms, the concepts are interesting and not too difficult to grasp. In my opinion, AP Psych is a GPA booster and an easy 5 on the exam.
Similarly to AP Psychology, AP English Language (in my experience) is an enjoyable class. If you like English and writing, this class is for you. Also, all the writing practice in AP Lang prepared me very well to write what felt like hundreds of supplemental essays once college application season came around.
Junior year is the time for AP science. At this point you have both honors biology and honors chemistry under your belt, and if you found yourself with a passion for either you should sign up for the AP class. Not only will this strengthen your knowledge and grow your love for the subject, it will reflect well on your transcript. If colleges see a consistent demonstrated interest in the field of the major that you are applying for, it will reflect better upon you as a student
and potentially give you an edge in the applicant pool.
Unfortunately, AP US History is a class I must advise you to avoid. While Mr. Rush is a stellar teacher and I enjoyed my class-time experiences, the sheer amount of textbook reading and content memorization needed to do well in that class is not worth it. I don’t think I ever got an A on a quiz or a test in that class. However, thanks to Mr. Rush, my classmates and I were very well-prepared for the exam. Despite our fears of failure, we all did well on the AP exam.
INCOMING SOPHOMORES
To be honest, choices are very limited for rising sophomores. With your English, science, and math usually being predetermined for you, your creative liberty with a sophomore schedule is extremely restricted. However, you have the opportunity to get a little crazy with your history class, art credit, and elective choice.
When it comes to a history credit, there are a few fun choices. AP World History, AP Human Geography, and AP European History are all options for those of you looking to take an advanced placement course. Although it provides the draw of having Miss Orr as it’s teacher, AP European History is well-known for being a difficult course. And when it comes to AP Human Geography, it is a relatively new course to AMHS that mostly freshman take, but if you feel ready to start taking AP classes this could be a good way to get your feet wet. Personally, I would have to go with AP World. I took the course and found it interesting and easy, and an added bonus is that Mr. Garris usually teaches the course and he is incredibly knowledgeable about all things historical, which could surely help you on your learning journey.
Sophomore year is also the time to get the art credit that you need to graduate. Choices include guitar 1 with Mr. Grimshaw and art 1 with Ms. Callicott. Both are strong options and it truly depends on what interests you. While AP Music Theory is another option, it has not come highly recommended from previous students. Emma Morrison warns to not take this class unless you have perfect pitch. AMHS is so focused on academics that the arts are often overshadowed, so be prepared to have your art class pushed to the bottom of your priority list.
Alright fledglings, I hope you were able to find a guidance in this article. I wish you the best of luck in your remaining years at this establishment, you’re going to need it.
