AP English FAQ Handout 2006 (2)

7/23/2019 AP English FAQ Handout 2006 (2)

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AP English

Frequently Asked Questions

From the Class of 2006

The purpose of this survey is to give a true depiction of AP English to rising seniors. Current AP

English students had the opportunity to answer these questions anonymously as an optional

assignment in February. These students wanted to share their thoughts on the course, and mae

comments on the common rumors surrounding it. They would be happy to answer any questions

in person, as well. !ee them out"

1. What are the enefits of taking AP English! "om#ared to taking A"ademi"

English 12 or taking English at $i"hard %land&

There are many benefits of taing AP English#a lot more than $ had anticipated before $ too the course. First off, compared to AP English, Academic or %ichard &land English does not give you the challenge or

room for improvement as AP English does. $ now a lot of people who are 'English people( but are taing

Academic English and don)t en*oy themselves because it is too 'watered down.( Also, $ feel all my English

sills have greatly improved. +ou may say, '$ shouldn)t tae AP English because $)m not that great atwriting,( but by receiving constructive criticism on your writing, you quicly improve. At the end of the

first quarter, each student had to revise a paper we had written towards the beginning of the quarter. ooing bac on the paper $ had written *ust only about two months ago and comparing it to my new paper,

$ was ama-ed at how much my writing sills had improved.

$ have not taen English at %ichard &land so $ cannot equally compare the two classes, but $ do now that $

am really glad that $ have taen AP English here. $ en*oy the small class with my friends a lot. $t)s very

comfortable. $ now that $ would rather be taing AP English than Academic simply because $ havelearned so much more than $ thin $ could have learned in Academic. $ feel adequately prepared for

college net year due to the course.

$ thin AP English is a very good choice for English // 0onors students, especially those who have been inan advanced English class for several years. Academic English /1 is, of course, much easier than AP

English, but it isn)t nearly as rewarding. Especially for students who are used to a challenging English

class, Academic English /1 would be very boring and not at all challenging. 0onors students who decided to tae Academic English /1 this year are finding themselves having to do etra wor solely to eep theirinterest and eep them from falling asleep in class. AP English is challenging, yes, but it is also very

rewarding.

From watching my friends tae Academic English, $ constantly heard complaints about the course notbeing challenging enough. &ecause there is no 0onors English /1, many of my 0onors friends had to

divert to the academic course of English. The pro*ects and wor they had to do were very ob*ective and

involved a lot of *ust mere 'memori-ing.( AP English)s course syllabus involves analytical, writing, and

reading sills. $nstead of memori-ing information, a ma*ority of our tests require us to analy-e selectedquotes from our tets. &ut you get so much practice in analysis from the papers assigned and tests that are

given that they become easier each time you complete an analysis. All you basically need to do for study is

have a solid understanding of the current read. An English course at %ichard &land can be sewed.

From watching my friends tae Academic English, $ constantly heard complaints about the course not

being challenging enough. &ecause there is no honors English /1, many of my honors friends had to divert

to the academic course of English. The pro*ects and wor they had to do were very ob*ective and involved

a lot of *ust mere 'memori-ing.( English AP)s course syllabus involves analytical, writing, and reading sills. $nstead of memori-ing information, a ma*ority of our tests require us to analy-e selected quotes from

our tets. &ut you get so much practice in analysis from the papers assigned and tests that are given that

they become easier each time you complete an analysis. All you basically need to do for study is have a

solid understanding of the current read.



2. What 'ere your e(#e"tations)fears of this "lass as a rising *unior! and 'hat

has ha##ened sin"e then&

As a *unior $ noticed that the current AP English class consisted of about 2 people. $ am one of thoseinsecure honors students, but $ ept telling myself, if they can do it, so can $, and that was proven to be

true. $ feared that $ would be assigned papers after papers constantly. Although there is about 3 wees

where a 14page paper is due weely, in the first nine wees that was necessary to build and practice my sills in analysis of characters, settings, symbols, and point of view. After the infamous weely papers weredone with, $ felt lie $ could accomplish anything. As $ was taing three other college level courses, $ felt

that within the first 5 wees of my senior year, $ was already prepared for college. All it taes is

ad*ustment. 6ost of the wor is done out of the classroom so the actual class isn)t stressful at all.

7oing into AP English, $ was afraid the wor would be too hard. 8hile at first it was stressful 9and at

times it still is, but most classes are somewhat stressful:, $ am now better at analy-ing and writing in

general. $ had heard the 'AP English horror stories,( and about the large amount of drop4outs. &ut since

then, $)ve learned that most of the rumors are based on things that aren)t true and that they are usually started by people who didn)t have the endurance to continue taing the class. Any AP class is intimidating

in the first few wees, but afterwards it becomes easier 9or maybe you *ust become used to it:. Either way,

you become stronger in English.

$ didn)t initially sign up for AP English. $ was stuc between two choices; whether $ should tae AP

English and possibly get bad grades or tae Academic English and rela by !enior year 9which $ almost

felt as a betrayal to my love of English:. $ obviously decided to tae AP English with the promise to myself

that no matter what $ wouldn)t drop out. $ had already put a !tudy 0all in my schedule so with seriousdoubts about my course load including AP English, $ was very nervous about not being cut out for the

class. $)m not going to lie< the first couple of wees were a shoc. $t seemed that the moment people

started getting any bad grades they dropped the class lie that" &ut $ was still determined and that to

eventually learn that you => have to wor and you => have to be motivated to succeed in AP English. $t)sa lot different from other English classes because 6rs. !tricler treats her AP students lie adults and gives

them more responsibility. !o it)s o if you)re not the best in English. The main thing you need to do to

ecel in AP English is wor hard. $t)s not nearly as frightening as you thin it is"

$ was definitely worried going into AP English, especially with taing two other AP classes. $ was afraid $

was getting into more than $ could handle, and that $ would have spent a month of my summer doing wor

for nothing if $ dropped the class. Even when the school year started, $ was very uneasy about whether $'belonged( in AP English or not. $)m not at the top of my class, and $ don)t get straight A)s, the typical

characteristics of an AP English student. !ince then, $)ve considered dropping the class at numerous

points during the year, taing it so far as to accumulating two 'Course =rop( slips from my guidance

counselor. &oth times, though, $)ve decided against dropping it?!ince then, $?have gained muchconfidence in group wor and class discussions. $)m so glad $ decided to tae AP English and stic with it,

because $ have gained so much from *ust one semester of the course.

+. Why is this "lass #er"ei,ed as one of the most diffi"ult "lasses in the s"hool&

Personally, $ don)t now why AP English is seen as the 'scary( class. $)m sure it)s *ust the fact that usuallythere aren)t many people that sign up for AP English so that automatically maes students thin it)soutrageously hard. @ow $ admit sometimes that it is 'hard( in a sense, but you become adapted to that

type of 'hardness.( For all of the people who are borderline about taing AP English but are definite

about taing AP Chemistry; 8hat are you thining

$ thin this class is perceived as one of the most difficult classes in the school for good reasons. There is a

great deal of devotion and wor that a student has to put into the class to succeed. A lot of research outside

of school is necessary for success in the class. This is, by far, the most difficult class $)m taing, but it)s

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also my favorite. $ learn so much every day, and $ can really see a difference in my performance in other

classes, especially with papers and oral presentations.

$ thin younger students hear AP students tal about pro*ects and papers for the class, and that scaresthem, but it shouldn)t. These pro*ects and papers are not *ust thrown at you. +ou do wor to develop the

sills that you will need to complete these tass, and none of them are unmanageable.

-. While in AP English! ho' ha,e you gro'n as a student in general and as an

English student&

$ cannot say enough about how much $ have grown as a student from taing AP English. As a student in

general $ have learned how to manage my time a lot more and not procrastinate 9or try not to:" That)s one

main aspect of AP English you learn very quicly. $n the English sense, $ feel $ have improved greatly in

my writing sills. 6rs. !tricler told us at the beginning of the year that we would improve in writing, and franly, $ didn)t really believe her. $ never thought $ was that great of a writer, but being in AP English 9and

getting lots of practice": truly helped me form strong papers. $ also feel lie $ am more confident when

speaing to a group of people. $n AP English we have 'group( where we put all our dess in a circle and

discuss certain topics 9mostly about literature,: and $ have become very comfortable speaing my opinions.

$)ve learned how to tae constructive criticism in a constructive way. $)ve also learned how to share my

opinions and how to eplain them.

AP English has allowed for me to widen my perspective on this world and see things from different points

of view. This is a sill that needs to be learned by everyone in life. Furthermore, my analytical sills have

become much better, which allows for discernment. The most important thing $)ve gained from this class is

my ability to see the flaws in my writing and correct them.

&ecause of this class, $ have learned how to manage my time more effectively. 6y writing sills have also

vastly improved. $ feel more confident about college and my paper4writing sills, which are necessary in

EBE%+ class in college, not *ust English. $ feel lie $ am better prepared for the pressure that collegeclasses will put on me and will be equipped to manage them accordingly.

$)ve grown so much as a student in general and even more as an English student. 6y confidence has sy4

roceted, and my ability to participate in class discussions and write papers has greatly improved?.&ytaing AP English, $)ve epanded my literary nowledge, which greatly helps when $ read boos on my

own, $ can see the deeper meaning behind the wor.

As an English student, $)ve learned to space out my time more efficiently. $ never wait until the last minuteto write a paper. 6rs. !tricler leaves her email address open to be sent any questions on a paper. +ou

can even send her the paper or what you)ve wored on so far for her to guide you in what you need to

concentrate on, to fi *ust in case you are maing a mistae repeatedly throughout the paper, etc. &ecause

the class gives a little bit more independence from the usual high school courses, it)s up to you to taeadvantage of asing questions when you are unsure of anything. $)ve also ecelled in my analytical sills

and can efficiently brea down the words in literature to loo beyond *ust the literal meaning.

. /o' mu"h time ea"h 'eek do you s#end #re#aring for this "lass&

$ spend about thirty minutes to one hour on English every night. !ometimes it may be more, sometimes it ismuch less, but you are highly rewarded for your hard wor.

$ would estimate that AP English requires about one hour of homewor a night, but whether you spend an

hour a night is completely up to you. $t all goes bac to how you manage your time. Assignments are not

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usually due on a day4to4day basis. +ou are given a wee or so, depending on the assignment, to complete

certain tass< so you could spend five hours in one night or one hour for five nights completing an

assignment.

This question varies a >T wee to wee. A lot of nights the homewor may vary from /3 minutes to an

hour and a half. Although, there are the wees where you have a big paper or pro*ect to prepare for. !o

tae my advice, don)t procrastinate in AP English" $)m a pretty big procrastinator myself but have learned

when it comes to AP English, you don)t want to be up at am woring on a paper or a pro*ect. +ou won)thave to worry about time management if you *ust don)t procrastinate. 6rs. !tricler always gives you

enough time for an assignment and often gives you time to wor on it in class"

$ spend anywhere from 3 to /D hours a wee 9including weeends: preparing fro my AP English class. 6ost nights, $ have D minutes to an hour of homewor, and some nights $ spend preparing for debates,

!ocratic seminars, or class discussions.

6. What im#a"t 'ill this ha,e on my "ollege admissions&

AP English, lie any AP class, will loo impressive on a college application. $t will show you have the

motivation and discipline to tae a challenging class. Even if you get a & or C, the college would rather see you have that than have an A in a normal English /1 class. Even with a C in AP English, you would

have learned much more than in another class, and that will say something about your character to college

admission boards.

Colleges, especially the selective ones, see that $)ve challenged myself and can manage a college level

course. Therefore, $ now that they will loo at me favorably compared to a prospective student who has

not taen this course.

$t)ll impress the admissions officers because even they heard the rumors from question number three"

. f m not going to e an English ma*or in "ollege! 'hy should take AP

English&

At a ma*ority of ma*or universities, they require a certain amount of core classes that you must tae your

freshman year at college. !ome sort of English Composition course is usually required. &ecause you are

not ma*oring in this field, why should you struggle with it and waste your time when you could be

concentrating more on the courses that you are truly interested in Even better, if you do well enough onthe AP Eam, you might *ust eempt that baby and save you a good amount of money that you could have

paid for taing that course. AP English can also prepare you for the writing sills that one will come

across in courses not pertaining to literature. From &iology to 0istory ma*ors, you)re going to have to

write essays on tests. AP English helps you to efficiently brainstorm and prepare quic and conciseresponses to essay questions in a limited amount of time.

+ou should tae it because it will help you in any area you intend to pursue. +ou will use sills acquired in

this class with anything you ma*or in. 9+ou always have to write papers":

AP English helps you manage your time well, read efficientlyquicly, and, most importantly, write papers

better. Again, in college you don)t only have to write papers for your English courses< therefore, learning

how to better write your papers now can only benefit you later.

$ am not planning on ma*oring in English. $n fact, $ am entering college as a Pre46ed ma*or, but $ have a

feeling that the sills developed in AP English will etend to help me in all my classes. 8riting and

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analy-ing sills are required for most classes, and $ really en*oy English as well. The class is interesting,

which maes the challenging aspect minimal.

3. /o' has this "lass im#a"ted your 4PA&

AP English has only benefited my 7PA. >nce you complete this course by the end of the year, .D3 isawarded to your 7PA. $f you tae more than one AP class or any dual enrollment class, thin of how much

that will add up.

AP English has raised my 7PA. 6rs. !tricler is generous with etra credit opportunities and hasreasonable grading. The class does not try to mae you fail. $f you sincerely try and put some time into the

class, you will be fine 9and so will your grades :.

This class has raised my 7PA. $ was fearful that it would hurt my 7PA, but with hard wor $)ve been able

to raise my 7PA higher.

5. What is a ty#i"al "lass #eriod like&

6ore hoots than a barrel of moneys. 90onest.:

Class periods vary from day to day. 8e may have reading days, wor on AP practice tests, group

9positively critici-ing anonymous papers we)ve written:, debates, presentations, debates, presentations,

tests, etc. The class period almost always involves group wor and we usually run out of time. There isnever a time that you go into class and find yourself bored or watching the time.

$f we)re not reading something in class, we)re usually discussing things as a group lie previous papers or

what we read the night before. $t is more of an interactive class than a lecture class.

AP English is unlie any other class $ have taen. $f any of you have ever taen the C%EATE program, it

reminds me a lot of that. $t is always a very open environment. 8e are treated much more lie adults thanin other class, which allows much room for personal involvement. 0owever, that means we also have moreresponsibility with assignments lie reading or pDro*ects. A typical period may involve woring on notes,

discussing a boo, paper, or sub*ect in a !ocratic !eminar 9group:, woring on a soon4to4be4due pro*ect, or

reading.

10. What has sur#rised you aout this "lass&

!o much has surprised me about AP English. First off, $ was surprised how much everyone had

eaggerated the difficulty of the class. $ mean, of course it)s a lot of wor, but the teacher nows you)re

only human, and a high school teenager at that. The atmosphere of the class is actually somewhat

relaing" The other thing that surprised me about AP English is how much it has changed me. $ never

thought that taing a class could really change how $ wrote papers or how $ looed at literature, but it did.

$)m surprised at how much this class has helped me in other classes, and even after school activities. $t

has really boosted my confidence, and $)m a lot more comfortable taling about topics in other classes.

The most surprising aspect to me is the possibility for success in the course. $ was scared of the class at

first and didn)t thin that A)s were even a possibility. &ut, $ have learned that through dedication and hard

wor, $ can succeed in this class.

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$ was surprised as to how laid bac the class setting is. $ imagined us doing busy wor every day involving

worsheets. 8orsheets are pretty rare in this class. $t)s all either note4taing or group wor done in the

class. There is a lot of discussion in the classroom instead of focusing on a piece of paper the entire

period.

$ have been surprised at how much easier the class is than what $ had epected. $ had the typical 'h oh,

AP E@7$70"( train of thought, but it truly isn)t bad, and it)s one of my favorite classes. 8hile you are in

the calss you really feel lie you are doing something worthwhile with your time, and you now what youlearn will help you later down the road.

$t)s a lot more interesting than $ originally thought it would be. $ thought it would be dead silence and

!haespeare, but instead it)s laughs and !haespeare. 9There)s no escaping him.:

11. es"rie 7rs. 8tri"kler as a tea"her.

6rs. !tricler understands that students have a lot of things going on, so she is fleible with due dates of

papers and pro*ects. !he is a teacher who really wants her students to do well, so she will do anything to

help you if you have a problem with a paper or whatever you are woring on. !he isn)t intimidating or

strict, but rather easy to tal to and get along with.

6rs. !tricler is a very responsible teacher. !he is also fun to have as a teacher#because she)s close to

our age, it normally feels lie she is *ust a friend who happens to have a teaching degree in English. &ecause the class is normally small, you start to feel lie you have 'an AP English family.( There is a lot

of *oing in the class#it is really fun.

!trict but fair, if you don)t understand, she)ll either; A. 0elp you understand. &. Cut you some slac. C.Tell you to quit whining.

6rs. !tricler has introduced the course in the best way possible. 8henever papers or reports are

assigned, she always maes sure that the student nows what type of analysis and questions to consider in your wor. !he is also a teacher that does not mind communicating with her students outside the class.

7enerously, she opens up her email address to students so that she can be reached even on the weeends for any guidance. Problems may also arise regarding due dates on papers and if a ma*ority of the students

feel the same way, she will always consider the opinions of the students and mae it her priority tocompromise with the students) proposal. $n critiquing papers, she will not only write down areas you

should improve in, but complement you on areas of writing you do well in.

6rs. !tricler is a great teacher. !he has helped me a lot this year. !ince the class is so small, she has timeto wor with each student one on one at various points in the course. !he helps us with our paper outlines,

maing sure we)re on topic. !he helps guide us with our pro*ects if we)re having trouble and she eplains

topics very well. The class is very relaed, and 6rs. !tricler is great about maing it that way, so it isn)t

awward when we have to spea in discussions. 8e have a class website on which 6rs. !tricler postswhat we will be doing during each class day, so there are no surprises.

6rs. !tricler is a very considerate and fair teacher. !he understands that students have other AP classes

and other responsibilties outside the class. !he also wors with the students well and helps individually ifthey need it. 6rs. !tricler nows that our brains *ust need a brea sometimes" !he randomly plans fun

activities that help us to rela and ease the pressures that tend to build up in school. !he is intelligent and

sweet, and definitely cares about the well4being of the students.

12. es"rie some "hara"ter traits of an AP English student.

$ thin AP English students should be hard4woring, because it is definitely not a 'slac class.( They should also be open and willing to participate in discussion. The class will also help to develop this ability.

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!tudents considering taing this class need to want to improve themselves and be open to constructive

criticism as well. >ne of the things that we do in 'circle time( is evaluate ourselves and others) writing.

An AP English student must persevere through the struggles. 0e or she cannot give up at any moment, and pic himself up after falling down. =etermination is also an essential trait. >ne must have the inner drive

to do well in the class. 0e or she cannot *ust epect an easy A to be achieved through minimal wor.

An AP English student is hard4woring. $ truly thin that is the one trait that a student needs to ecel in AP English. There are lots of things $ could add to the list lie 'doesn)t procrastinate( 9but $ myself am a

procrastinator: or 'is really great at writing( 9but you don)t really have to be great:. +ou *ust have to wor

hard in general and wor harder in the areas you aren)t so great in.

An AP English student must be determined and devoted to the class. +ou have to be open and ready foranything and ready to thin about both sides of the issues and not *ust one.

1+. Any "on"luding remarks9

$f you are hesitant to tae AP English, !$7@ P. +ou can always T%+, and if you decide that the class isn)t

for you , then you can drop out. &ut it is always much easier to drop down than go up. =on)t cheat

yourself out of a really good opportunity because you were afraid to try. AP English is not a scary class. $t is fun. Try it"" $ now two students who dropped out. >ne said he wished he had stayed in because it

became easi5er in later wees 9especially with all the etra credit:. The other student said he really

couldn)t handle the stress. !o AP English isn)t for everyone, but don)t regret not trying. E!PEC$A+ if you are strong in English. $f the sub*ect comes naturally to you, you will have no problems in the class.

And even if you have to try, your efforts will pay off in the long run.

=on)t let others scare you into not taing it. Thin about what you can and cannot handle, and choose for yourself. 0owever, if you)re doing well in 0onors English, then you can definitely do it"

$ highly recommend taing this class" $f you are hesitant, the way $ see it is that you should at least try. $f

you find out that it)s not for you, the option of dropping down to Academic is always there as a safety net. $f you go straight to Academic and later wish you would have taen AP, you have no choice but to stay in

Academic. From eperience, the pros definitely outweigh the cons. !o what)s the harm in trying

+ou learn a lot about yourself in AP English. +our English teachers have wored with you for three years so that you will be able to rise to the AP level, and possibly, to your surprise, if you have listened to them,

you can.

$ genuinely am thanful that $ chose to tae AP English and stuc with it. !ome of my friends that havedropped are bored out of their minds in regular English, because they have to read boos and learn

material that they have already learned in previous years. This is because English /1 is not designed for

students who have taen English honors. !ome of their grades are actually not as high as $ would have

thought, because they don)t thin that they need to wor as hard since they have already had the material. $ am very happy with what $ am learning in AP English. !ometimes it is more challenging than others, but

$ feel prepared for college, and $ have fun with a lot of things we do in class.

>ne may be discouraged because of the frightening things he or she has heard about the class, but don)tbelieve it until you have taen the class yourself. $t is a great class to develop general life sills as well as

writing sills.

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Documents

AP English FAQ Handout 2006 (2)