What have you heard about Academic Magnet? There have always been rumors surrounding the school, as well as other generalizations that circulate throughout the school every year. While some of these rumors are harmful, like those that dissuade you from taking a class or students from attending this school, others are comedic. Some may be true, and others false, and I am here to tell you my views and opinions on rumors that have been submitted to me via Google Forum. 

“People have no social life and it sucks there’s too much stress” 

While there have been some weeks at AMHS where I have been overwhelmed with the amount of assignments I have, like during sports season or leading up to exams, I do not find full truth in this rumor. However, I will acknowledge that everyone feels different levels of stress and has a different experience from me. It’s hard to deal with the stress that comes with the transition into high school and the amount of work that comes with it. But, I feel like once you get a routine down, however, for studying or getting your work done, you will have more leniency in your schedule to do things or hang out with others. All high schools have classes that will make you feel stressed, and I think our teachers don’t excessively overwhelm us with work. 

“That we are completely horrendous at all sports”

Although we are not great at some sports, we are absolutely not bad at all sports. For example, in the last year, we have had strong performances from the women’s and men’s cross-country teams, the men’s tennis team, both swimming teams, and the girl’s golf team. In addition, AMHS has always been known for having good soccer teams. In contrast, we have never been known to be strong in some of the more popular team sports, such as football. I believe that we are disadvantaged with team sports as our teams are made of students who came from all different middle schools across the district rather than from feeder schools where the kids have been playing together for years. Overall, I think we are decently good in most sports. 

“That you can get into any college you want if u go to Magnet”

This rumor can be 100% debunked. Although I have not been deferred or rejected from a university yet because I did not apply to any super-competitive schools, I expect to receive at least one rejection in the future. However, there are plenty of Magnet students who have been deferred or rejected from schools this year and in previous years. Many people believe that because AMHS is ranked as one of the best public schools in the nation, its students have a better chance of getting into college. Contrary to this belief, colleges do not care where you go to high school. Admissions officers look at your high school to examine the strength of your coursework and schedule compared to the classes offered. I believe that AMHS does, however, prepare students for college, and some Magnet alums have even said that they have found college easier than high school.

“People really stay up until 4 AM studying.”

I am not sure I know anyone who stays up that late studying, so I do not think I can debunk this rumor. I feel like by 4 AM, anyone would be so exhausted that they would not be able to focus on their notes or take in any knowledge whatsoever. I think the latest I ever stayed up studying was until 2 AM the night before my first AP exam because I was so nervous. Other than that, I have studied for any assessment past a little after midnight, even when I am cramming. Those who stay up late studying, perhaps until 4 AM, are doing so because they either took a nap or worked earlier that afternoon or evening or are not managing their time well.

“Ap European History is a scary and hard class”

I have heard from the majority of people that AP European History is a scary and hard class, but I have also heard the opposite. I was told this during my freshman year and decided to take AP World instead, despite having always been interested in European history. According to Ms. Orr, the first couple of exams are hard and “kick you in the teeth,” but the class is great after that. Additionally, she says that students get scared because they hear that there is a lot of reading, but there are students who have not even opened the textbook and scored well on the exam. Although there is more reading required by the class than for AP World, if you are looking to take AP United States History junior year, AP Euro is more similar to APUSH than AP World and will most likely better prepare you for it.

“The google hacker is a senior” 

This year, a few seniors, including myself, got their Google accounts hacked. The hacker went on to students’ Google Classroom pages and left comments on the stream. More recently, the hacker sent out an email to the entire senior class. I do believe this rumor is true because from what I have heard, only seniors have had their Google accounts hacked. 

“AP psychology is a free and easy class” 

While AP Psychology has been one of the easier APs I have taken at Magnet, I would not say this is a free class. AP Pysch requires a lot of memorization of psychology terms, researchers and theorists, and other content. Additionally, there are a lot of tests and quizzes that require constant studying. However, the class is really interesting, and I would recommend it to anyone looking for an elective class next year.

Did you hear of any of these rumors before this article? Did any of these surprise you? If you have any more rumors you want to share, comment down below, and I will respond to them with my honest opinion.