Tompkins High School has a variety of academic classes for students to choose from. Students start having to make the decision on what they want to do after high school, and based on this decision, they choose what classes to take throughout the years. Every year, students make the tough choice on whether or not to take AP courses.

AP courses are designed to challenge students to be more independent. Different factors contribute to making these decisions. Students make a rough plan of what they want to do after high school and evaluate if taking AP courses will benefit them in any way. They also assess their strengths and weaknesses in that particular subject and decide if they will be able to handle the stress that comes along with taking AP classes.

One of the AP classes offered at Tompkins is AP Computer Science. It is available to be taken freshman year, but some take it when they are sophomores. Two of the sophomores who took this class are Rhea Bhat and Saanika Halapeti. Both of them took it because they wanted the GPA points and they felt as if they could handle it.

“I took this class because I like doing high level classes and I wanted to be challenged for college.  At first, I was scared that she was going to fail this class because I did not know much about the course. However, the class ended up to be not as bad as I thought,” said Bhat.

This class focuses more on teaching students to be independent and responsible because students are expected to take notes at home. Students learn time management skills and how to be responsible. To make this class easier, students should try their best to stay ahead in their homework. Students should also try to learn Java before taking the course.

“I recommend this class to be taken in sophomore year so that students can take the academic class in freshmen year. If students do this, they will be able to get advice from people who have already taken the course and they would not be jumping directly into an AP class,” said Bhat.

To do well in this class, students should be able to interpret videos, pay attention to details and understand terminology. They should also learn how to use Java and know how to take good notes in time for the tests.

“Based on what other people made it sound like, I thought it would be the most difficult class. However, by focusing and putting in the effort, I am able to manage it,” said Halapeti.
Another AP class offered at Tompkins is AP Psychology. This class is offered to 10th, 11th and 12th graders. Two of the juniors taking this class are Brian Causey and Greg Carpan. People take this class for the college credit. Students should read the textbook to be successful in this class. People who want to take this class should keep up with the reading and not wait until the last minute to do assignments and to study.

“I thought I was going to do pretty average since I have been in other advanced classes and I’m doing well. This class is better than I thought,” said Causey.

The tests in this class are made hard so that the AP exam will be easier. Every day, ten vocab words are given to students to memorize for tests and the AP exam. However, even though the difficulty of this class is high, there are always ways to be successful. Students should study hard and take efficient notes. Students should also read the textbook because it contains helpful AP tips.

“Even though I am a junior, I recommend this class to be taken in sophomore year because it is an easier year,” said Carpan

An AP class that sophomores are introduced to is AP World History. There are many sophomores that have decided to take this class instead of Pre-AP World History. Two of these students are Akhila Venuturupalli and Pranisha Karuturi. By taking this class, students will have the AP credit to show for it if they decide to go into this subject in the future. History is pre-written subject and students who enjoy listening to stories will like this class. This course also teaches students to be more independent by taking notes at home. To be successful in this class, students should be responsible and should not procrastinate.

“Studying for tests and taking notes are the hardest parts of the class, but the course is still manageable. I recommend students to get ahead when doing homework and to pay attention. If they work hard, it is worth the effort,” said Venuturupalli.
This class gives students a more in depth understanding of World History than Pre- AP would. If students really want another AP credit, they should take this class. The more AP credits they have, the better it would look on college applications. This course requires a lot of effort from the students, but they will soon learn to work through it. This class makes students realize that procrastination leads to disastrous results. If students procrastinate, they will not be able to finish taking notes in time to study for tests. The only way to make this class easier is by not procrastinating on assignments and homework.

“The information is not hard to comprehend, but taking at least 70 pages of notes every week can get overwhelming and requires effort. Taking this class helps students learn how to put the effort into achieving anything they want,” said Karuturi.