Angelina Zhao

AP Physics students Jose Castillo (12) and Tony Xu (12) advertise their classes to people interested in taking the class next school year through fun examples. A few years ago before AP rush was started at school, many students didn’t have a lot of information so they would have to go to AP night where they and their parents would go to get the information they needed. “When I first started teaching AP Calculus, parents and students would come to an AP night. We’d all sit in the classroom and the teachers would do a presentation so with AP rush now, I kind of like it better,” Mr. Adam Sjol, AP Calculus AB teacher, said.

On Thursday, January 18, the 3rd annual AP Rush took place during lunch where booths were set up with students currently in the class answering questions. 

AP Rush was filled with a plethora of students walking around to look at the different classes available to them for the next school year as class registration season is right around the corner. This opportunity is perfect for freshman and sophomores to familiarize themselves with their class options. 

Advanced prep (AP) classes are courses that all grade levels can take to avoid the specific course in college if they earn a passing score of 3 or higher on the AP exam. These classes also raise students’ GPA and give them extra preparation for the challenges the students will face in college. These classes are all run by a specially trained teacher that all do their very best to help their students succeed. 

“Mrs. Saiid and I have been pretty darn successful,” Mr. Adam Sjol, AP Calculus AB teacher, said. “Last year, over 50% of the kids got fives on the AP test between our sets of classes and something ridiculous like 95% got a three or higher.”

The AP Rush booths are all run by new and former students of the AP classes rather than the teachers. This way, anyone that is interested in taking an AP class can directly ask current and previous students what the class is like from a student’s perspective rather than a teacher who is specialized in the subject. 

“If you ask a teacher, they might give you a bit of a warped sense or a warped account of their own class,” Jeremiah Park (11) said. “I think students hearing stories from other students will give them a little bit more of a realistic picture of what their experience is going to be like.” 

It is important for students to be informed about these classes at AP Rush because these classes also give them a chance to not only excel in the assigned subject, but also learn a multitude of skills including critical thinking. These skills are necessary for classes such as AP Calculus AB where students have to think of different ways to solve problems. 

“I think the most important thing to do is learn how to think outside of the box,” Evan Chang (11) said. “Calculus really teaches you how to have your basic skills and you use them in a certain way which allows you to solve these more complex problems.”

AP Rush is one of the many infamous academic activities for students to attend to help them decide what classes they want to take next school year. By learning about the classes from a student perspective, everyone can get a better understanding of what the classes that they want to take are like. 

“I feel like if you don’t have a goal and a challenge at the end, [like taking] AP tests at the end, it’s hard to find motivation,” Chang said. “I really feel that like with AP tests and AP classes, it gives you something to work for and I think that’s really important.”