With the start of the second half of the school year, AHA students taking an Advanced Placement (AP) class have become more accustomed to the stresses of AP classes. Many students have settled into the coursework, including the amount of homework or the frequency of tests. The Blue & Gold is writing a series of articles that offers a glimpse into AP classes that sophomores and juniors are thinking of taking from a current student’s perspective.
Known to some as the hardest classes at AHA, AP Calculus AB and BC are no walk in the park. Students are thrown into a fire when approaching AP Calculus AB and BC due to their unique coursework. Calculus is different from its math counterparts because it is a new type of math that students have never encountered.
Derek Stock ‘24, mentioned that “AP Calculus AB [has been] a challenge,” but with the help of AP Calculus AB teacher Mrs. Donna Poshusta, he has been able to “understand it better.” In addition, he explained how it has been “helpful to collaborate” with his classmates during class through circuits and other group work. Finn Turner ‘24 said that he has found Calculus “more challenging than Geometry and Algebra II,” but that it has been “a blast to learn about Calculus and its concepts.” Theo Reid ‘25 said the class is “a solid math class with some real world applications.”
Zach Osborn ‘24, one of the 12 people currently taking AP Calculus BC, said that BC has been “[his] most engaging class and [he’s] made so many close connections in the class after only two months.” It is well documented that AP Calculus AB and BC become more demanding as the year progresses, so, to all AP Calculus students, good luck throughout your Calculus journey.
