What it means to take advanced

 

Because these classes move at such a fast pace, tests are given more frequently than a regular class.
 
“I think I take tests in [honors] classes way too much. I’d say about every other week,” said Chirathi Jayesinghe, senior.
 
According to some students, when they are given tests every other week on new material, it starts to become repetitive and too much. They also say it becomes difficult to balance the requirements with other activities or jobs they have. 
 
“I feel overwhelmed daily with the workload I receive every night and all the tests I have simultaneously,” Jayesignhe said.
 
If students take a class with tests every week, and so they start to pick up on the rhythm of the class and stress about when the next test will be and how hard it may be. These tests in these classes are designed to be much more challenging for students because teachers want to test their students on how well they know the material.
 
“I stress about upcoming tests almost daily. The high level of difficulty and the scope of topics they demand you to memorize [make them difficult],” said Chigo Ojiako, junior. “On average I receive about three hours of homework every night, so I am spending tons of hours completing assignments from almost my core classes every week.” 
 
Depending on the class, the homework load varies, but many students who take advanced courses work to balance it with clubs and sports. 
 
“I feel overwhelmed on a daily basis because of not only how much homework I receive, but also because of the amount of things I have to balance with school such as club activities, house chores, volunteering, and sports,” Ojiako said. “It’s really tiring and stressful.”
 
Most students in AP/Honors classes are in more than one class. Some are in all AP/Honors classes and the workload can become twice as much and stressful.
 
“I am in one regular class and it’s psychology. The workload is a lot less, and I feel like at a time, I can become too overwhelmed by all the work I have to do,” said Molly Bruns, senior.
 
As for relieving stress, many students talked about how they hang out with their friends to get out of the house.
 
“If I am overwhelmed, I focus on the things I can control in the class. I try to take breaks by playing with my dog or going on my trampoline so I can destress,” Bruns said.
 
If you feeling stressed or overwhelmed by courses or anything else, remember there are social workers who are located near the nurse’s office.