It’s that time of the year when we students have to start thinking about what classes we would like to take next year. Here are some details about four of the most-commonly taken AP courses at Falls Church.

For you current freshmen, one of the only AP classes available for you to take next year is AP World History with Mrs. Robinson.  This is your first crack at trying a college-level course and this is a good example of what AP classes are like.  AP World repeats in more detail some of what you learn in World History I as well as all of what you’d learn in World History II, and more.  Readings from the textbook will be assigned daily, and because you have so much history to cover the class moves quickly.  Alula Kinfu (10), who is currently taking the course, said “The class is challenging but the notes help a lot.”

Another college level history course is AP US History, or most commonly known as APUSH.  This class is taught by Mrs. Draschner and Ms. Switzer.  APUSH works the same way as AP World; there are extensive readings assigned every night.  Daniel Quiroga (11), who is currently taking APUSH, said, “I like it because it goes in depth into American History. You can see the patterns of how and why things turned out the way they did. Also, it’s a lot of information to understand but what’s amazing is that it cannot only be compared to domestic events but events throughout world history. It goes really in depth and is wonderful to understand how our country came to be.”

A class available for sophomores, juniors, and seniors is AP Human Geography taught by Mr. Simon.  This is a great class to take as your first AP course because the amount of reading is less than many other APs.  However, this class is still run like a college course.  In AP Human Geo you will learn about how and why the world and it’s people and countries work the way they do.  Minh Le (11), who is currently taking the class, said “It’s a fun and interesting class taught by an awesome teacher.”

Another popular AP course is AP Psychology taught by Mr. Daniels.  This class is another great class to take as your first college-level course as it is challenging but manageable.  In AP Psych you will learn about why the human body acts the way it does in different situations.  Quinn Baily (11), who is currently in AP Psych, said “It’s amazing how much you can learn about the human behavior and the mind.”

AP Physics is a popular course for juniors, taught by Mr. Tripp.  There is no Physics Honors offered here at FC so students have to choose between AP or regular physics.  AP Physics is a class great for people who like to do labs, and people who are more visual learners.

AP Lang is another great AP class that is often taken by juniors, taught by Mrs. Napoleolo In this class you will take frequent take vocabulary quizzes, and write “letter to the editors”.  If you love to write this is a great class for you.  Max Miller (11), who is currently in AP Lang, said “It’s a great class that builds critical writing skills that will help in the future.”

When deciding whether or not to take these courses you must remember that these are college-level courses and the workload will be more than that of a regular class.  Above all, you should be interested in the content you are signing up for.  Don’t just take a course because you think it will be an easy AP—no class is easy if you’re not truly interested in the material.  But if you are, be sure to sign up for an AP class, because it will look great on your high school transcript!