This cycle, The Burlingame B — my high school newspaper — is publishing a story about Advanced Placement culture at our school. As an editor, I can’t be quoted or featured due to our staff policies. But after four years immersed in the AP grind, I couldn’t stay silent. Here’s my take.
I won’t sugarcoat it: I took 10 APs and four dual enrollment classes. And yes, I survived. I got into some incredible schools. But I also came dangerously close to a mental breakdown junior year — spending lunch in the library, gripping the cover of my textbooks and wondering if it was normal to feel this exhausted all the time (spoiler: it’s not).
At a School Advisory Council meeting in November, Principal Jen Fong facilitated a discussion about a potential cap on AP classes. Three per year. Not as punishment, but as protection: for our mental health, our curiosity and our personal growth. Her idea was inspired by her daughter’s high school, which had the same policy (for your information, her daughter still got into top 20 and Ivy League universities!).
So why the backlash?
At SAC meetings, many parents argued a cap would put students at a disadvantage during college admissions. That kids should be allowed to challenge themselves freely, and not be confined to an “equal playing field” where they can’t stand out. In other words, that limiting opportunity would mean limiting ambition.
But here’s what I wish I’d known earlier: Colleges evaluate you in the context of your school. If a cap is in place and you’re taking the maximum allowed, you’re already considered one of the most rigorous students. You don’t need to prove your worth by overloading your schedule with seven APs and sacrificing sleep, time with loved ones or your mental health.
Looking back, I wish that cap had been in place when I was a junior. I was too deep in the College Board pipeline to see what I was giving up: downtime, creativity, balance. I took AP Statistics not because I loved numbers (I actually despised them), but because I thought it would boost my transcript. I learned very little and ended up resenting the subject even more (That’s not to say you weren’t a great teacher, Mr. Lau!).
And I wasn’t the only one. I watched one of my closest friends — a literal math genius I grew up taking Russian School of Mathematics with — completely unravel under the pressure of four APs junior year. I’ll never forget watching her cry during AP U.S. History flex, pleading with the teacher to round her grade up by just a few decimal points (our teacher didn’t).
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And I don’t blame the teacher. But I do wonder: What if my friend had taken just one fewer AP and spent that time doing what she loved — building robots, mentoring younger kids in STEM? I genuinely believe her college outcomes might’ve looked different — perhaps stronger, and certainly more true to who she is. Ironically, I didn’t find my spark in my AP classes. I found it in my extracurriculars. If I hadn’t given myself breathing room outside of schoolwork, I wouldn’t have figured out what truly mattered to me — or how to tell that story when application season rolled around.
Now, one argument made by senior SAC member Lucas Keeley was that creating a rule or barrier doesn’t teach students to make healthy, appropriate choices for themselves. Instead, he argued, there should be as much opportunity for choice as possible, with support to help students make their own informed decisions. But let’s be honest, many of us — in fact, most — don’t know our own limits. We mistake burnout for success. And in a culture where “What APs are you taking?” is basically a greeting, it’s easy to lose sight of what we can handle.
This isn’t a call to slack off. If you love English, take AP English Language and Composition. If physics is your thing, dive into AP Physics C. But take it because you love it — not because you think you have to (seriously, that’s what I’d tell my sophomore-year self before picking junior classes).
And if you’re still worried about “falling behind” without five APs on your plate, remember: Dual enrollment exists. Independent study exists. So does self-driven curiosity.
If Principal Fong ever introduces that proposal officially, I hope we take it seriously.
And to the underclassmen reading this: I know. You’re probably tired of hearing advice from seniors who “made it.” You’re not in our shoes yet. But trust me — if I could do it all over again, I’d take fewer APs. Not because I couldn’t handle them. But because I shouldn’t have had to take 10 APs just to feel like a “worthy” student.
Jeannine Chiang is a senior at Burlingame High School. Student News appears in the weekend edition. You can email Student News at news@smdailyjournal.com.
Very timely column Jeannine and interesting food for thought. My son just picked classes for his junior year and went back and forth about APs. He decided to drop one (English- which isn't his favorite.) He will likely end up with 7 overall when he graduates, plus honors classes and one duel enrollment. With sports year round that seems like plenty to me, which I keep telling him, but you are correct, there is a lot of pressure to take even more and he worries about it. I will show him your column. Good luck in college!
Thanks for your column today, Ms. Chiang, detailing your experiences in taking multiple AP classes. However, is your experience in taking multiple AP classes indicative of everyone else’s experience? Is it a graduation requirement to complete/pass 10 or any number of AP courses? Why should limiting the number of AP classes become the norm if taking AP courses is elective? We shouldn’t limit students from learning at a level they feel challenged as limiting their potential will not likely serve them well as they pursue their future endeavors. That being said, I applaud you for sharing your experiences.
I will add that I'm also not sure I agree with a cap, all kids are different. I don't like the idea proposed that the cap would be no more than 3 APs per year. My daughter, for example, took one sophomore year, two junior year and four senior year. Her fifth class senior year was an art elective so it was easier to manage the 4 APs.
Consider this scenario... junk the whole AP system. It's a scam pushed by colleges and universities. Too many school officials either nod their assent or just shrug. Too many parents push their kids onto the AP hamster wheel. If living with AP testing is part of our reality, then the community... not the test writers... need to keep it real.
Here is the link to an LTE I penned on this very subject eleven years ago: .
Let me try again... https://www.smdailyjournal.com/opinion/letters_to_editor/letter-college-board-testing/article_26623ea2-02dd-5787-8c80-acdadcfa368d.html
Just my opinion. I was a kid similar to Ms. Chiang. I respect and admire her hustle - myself growing up in a Jewish household I was forced to take as many AP classes as I could while still training to be a top 20 Tennis Player in Norcal and playing ODP soccer. I understand the need and drive to overachieve. But - when I talk to adults in the twilight of their life - and those with debilitating diseases.....they all tell me one thing. I wish I wouldn't have worked so hard and not taken myself so seriously. Its the same exact thing with everyone I ask. I don't claim to have all the answers in life - but I will say - society is selling you a lie. Inner Peace and loving your family are the real Zeitgeists.
Great column, Jeannine! After retiring from a career in biotech informatics and information technology, I tutored AP STEM classes for over a decade as a semi-retirement hobby, at one point serving as many as 22 students each week. I saw the issues that you describe repeatedly, and this led me to write an educational advice blog at www.eduissues.com. The articles are freely available, and I am completely retired now, so this comment is NOT a commercial for tutoring services!!
I went to high school back in the late 60s and early 70s, graduating in the spring of 71. There were no AP classes, just the SAT exam, and no one I knew even studied for that test as the College Board claimed that there was no evidence that test prep improved SAT scores. I **loved** my high school classes, both STEM and humanities classes, and won awards from both the science and English departments. Yes, I did a lot of homework, but I was eager to learn and wanted to become a scientist.
Fast forward to the 2010s and 2020s and too often I saw the AP system destroy the love of learning in students. It was my mission to turn that around. One of my last students before I retired told me that when she first began studying with me shortly after the start of her junior year, she was ready to ***burn her physics book.*** Two years later she was accepted to both UCLA and UC Berkeley, decided to major in mechanical engineering, and wrote me a very nice thank you letter for completely reversing her hatred of AP physics!
The AP system was a reaction to too many unearned A’s being handed out on student report cards. A major purpose behind the AP tests is to “spread out the curve” and allow the “elite” colleges to find out who has “really” mastered all the twists and turns of the subject material. AP questions are frequently loaded with tricks and traps to achieve this aim. It was not uncommon to find hard core students doing every released question that they could find in the hope of being able to quickly regurgitate answers to similar questions on an upcoming exam.
I would often work with the same student for multiple years (a few from 7th grade through senior year!), and it was obvious to me that this system was destructive. However, the College Board has captured the college admissions process and brings in several billions in revenue annually now through its courses and tests. AP classes are impossible to avoid unless institutions like Harvard, Yale, and Stanford start to repudiate them - don’t hold your breath!
It is important, however, to remember that true high achievement in a subject, e.g., winning a Nobel Prize, is not only the result of diligent, hard work. That diligent, hard work needs to be motivated by curiosity and a burning interest in a subject!! When a local educator referred to the AP system as “Mutual Assured Destruction,” that should be a sign that something is wrong: see https://eduissues.com/2018/03/16/mutual-assured-destruction/
Here are two other articles from my blog that I hope you share with your friends in the hope of saving them from AP pitfalls:
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(7) comments
Very timely column Jeannine and interesting food for thought. My son just picked classes for his junior year and went back and forth about APs. He decided to drop one (English- which isn't his favorite.) He will likely end up with 7 overall when he graduates, plus honors classes and one duel enrollment. With sports year round that seems like plenty to me, which I keep telling him, but you are correct, there is a lot of pressure to take even more and he worries about it. I will show him your column. Good luck in college!
Thanks for your column today, Ms. Chiang, detailing your experiences in taking multiple AP classes. However, is your experience in taking multiple AP classes indicative of everyone else’s experience? Is it a graduation requirement to complete/pass 10 or any number of AP courses? Why should limiting the number of AP classes become the norm if taking AP courses is elective? We shouldn’t limit students from learning at a level they feel challenged as limiting their potential will not likely serve them well as they pursue their future endeavors. That being said, I applaud you for sharing your experiences.
I will add that I'm also not sure I agree with a cap, all kids are different. I don't like the idea proposed that the cap would be no more than 3 APs per year. My daughter, for example, took one sophomore year, two junior year and four senior year. Her fifth class senior year was an art elective so it was easier to manage the 4 APs.
Hi, Terence
Consider this scenario... junk the whole AP system. It's a scam pushed by colleges and universities. Too many school officials either nod their assent or just shrug. Too many parents push their kids onto the AP hamster wheel. If living with AP testing is part of our reality, then the community... not the test writers... need to keep it real.
Here is the link to an LTE I penned on this very subject eleven years ago: .
Let me try again... https://www.smdailyjournal.com/opinion/letters_to_editor/letter-college-board-testing/article_26623ea2-02dd-5787-8c80-acdadcfa368d.html
Just my opinion. I was a kid similar to Ms. Chiang. I respect and admire her hustle - myself growing up in a Jewish household I was forced to take as many AP classes as I could while still training to be a top 20 Tennis Player in Norcal and playing ODP soccer. I understand the need and drive to overachieve. But - when I talk to adults in the twilight of their life - and those with debilitating diseases.....they all tell me one thing. I wish I wouldn't have worked so hard and not taken myself so seriously. Its the same exact thing with everyone I ask. I don't claim to have all the answers in life - but I will say - society is selling you a lie. Inner Peace and loving your family are the real Zeitgeists.
Great column, Jeannine! After retiring from a career in biotech informatics and information technology, I tutored AP STEM classes for over a decade as a semi-retirement hobby, at one point serving as many as 22 students each week. I saw the issues that you describe repeatedly, and this led me to write an educational advice blog at www.eduissues.com. The articles are freely available, and I am completely retired now, so this comment is NOT a commercial for tutoring services!!
I went to high school back in the late 60s and early 70s, graduating in the spring of 71. There were no AP classes, just the SAT exam, and no one I knew even studied for that test as the College Board claimed that there was no evidence that test prep improved SAT scores. I **loved** my high school classes, both STEM and humanities classes, and won awards from both the science and English departments. Yes, I did a lot of homework, but I was eager to learn and wanted to become a scientist.
Fast forward to the 2010s and 2020s and too often I saw the AP system destroy the love of learning in students. It was my mission to turn that around. One of my last students before I retired told me that when she first began studying with me shortly after the start of her junior year, she was ready to ***burn her physics book.*** Two years later she was accepted to both UCLA and UC Berkeley, decided to major in mechanical engineering, and wrote me a very nice thank you letter for completely reversing her hatred of AP physics!
The AP system was a reaction to too many unearned A’s being handed out on student report cards. A major purpose behind the AP tests is to “spread out the curve” and allow the “elite” colleges to find out who has “really” mastered all the twists and turns of the subject material. AP questions are frequently loaded with tricks and traps to achieve this aim. It was not uncommon to find hard core students doing every released question that they could find in the hope of being able to quickly regurgitate answers to similar questions on an upcoming exam.
I would often work with the same student for multiple years (a few from 7th grade through senior year!), and it was obvious to me that this system was destructive. However, the College Board has captured the college admissions process and brings in several billions in revenue annually now through its courses and tests. AP classes are impossible to avoid unless institutions like Harvard, Yale, and Stanford start to repudiate them - don’t hold your breath!
It is important, however, to remember that true high achievement in a subject, e.g., winning a Nobel Prize, is not only the result of diligent, hard work. That diligent, hard work needs to be motivated by curiosity and a burning interest in a subject!! When a local educator referred to the AP system as “Mutual Assured Destruction,” that should be a sign that something is wrong: see https://eduissues.com/2018/03/16/mutual-assured-destruction/
Here are two other articles from my blog that I hope you share with your friends in the hope of saving them from AP pitfalls:
https://eduissues.com/2020/02/23/smuhsd-class-sign-up-time-please-read-this-first/
https://eduissues.com/2019/02/18/senior-dilemma-what-to-take-ap-statistics-or-calculus-bc/
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