This week marks the start of a dreaded last stretch full of AP exams, so the school is compiled of stressed out students and frantic teachers. Whether students are taking one AP or five AP´s, the next few weeks will be long and hard, especially for seniors who are getting ready for prom and graduation. It can be stressful for students to take exams knowing they are missing work in other classes because it can pile up quickly. For me, I only had two AP exams (which were on the same day), but I missed notes in all of my classes along with the introduction of two projects.
This year’s exam schedule is very different from previous years. Now, instead of being able to come in late or leave early, students have to stay in school all day. If you have an exam at 8am, you have to return to class after, and if you have an exam at 12pm, you have to come to school at 7:55am and attend your first three classes. Many students were upset about this, but it had to be done. Another fault in the new schedule is that some exams run until 3 or 3:30pm, which interferes with students’ extracurricular activities and jobs.
¨I took APES on Tuesday, and I did not like the fact that we had to stay for classes after we finished because I was tired and drained after completing a three hour test, and all I wanted to do was go home and rest,¨ said senior Lyla Ingalls.
¨As a senior who is taking 5 AP´s this year, I think that this time of year is super stressful and busy so in my opinion, the new schedule is super inconvenient. I understand the reasoning for this new change but I feel as though speaking for a lot of my AP classmates that it is causing more harm than good when it comes to studying and preparation,¨ said Ella Rivers.
Despite the schedule change, students seem to be remaining positive.
¨Because of Covid, I wasn’t sure if we would ever have a normal AP schedule again, but once I found out that it was back to normal this year, I was relieved,¨ said senior Anna Murphy.
¨I think everyone is glad that things are finally going back to how they were pre-covid, and even though exams are not the highlight of my day, they are a step towards normalcy,¨ said senior Brendan Connolly.
It may seem like exams are nonstop right now, but it will all be worth it in the end. We want to be able to say that we tried our hardest, so push through. You’re so close!