   When course selection rolls around, many PHS students look forward to picking interesting and challenging Advanced Placement (AP) classes, only to find that they’re not available. The College Board has 38 different AP tests, ranging from math to the arts. Many students take AP exams early on in their high school career in hopes of receiving more advanced instruction or to catch the eye of a top college by having a record of challenging classes. AP courses have a fast-paced curriculum, with a test to show mastery at the end. Passing these tests can give students a sense of accomplishment for their hard work.    
   While AP courses are intended for high schoolers, many freshmen in our school are only allowed to take a select few. Even if a student were to meet the prerequisites for these AP courses, they still can’t take them simply due to their grade, which entirely disregards the skill and potential these students have.
   Academically-driven students deserve to be able to access challenging courses to further enhance their learning. Students may not want to spend a whole year taking a course they are already familiar with, and they deserve the opportunity to skip ahead. Although these restrictions mainly come from a place of concern and desire to help underclassmen adjust to a high-pressure academic environment, many students are qualified and can take on the challenge. For example, in the case of AP Calculus BC, students at PHS are unable to skip a course even if they self studied and previously scored a five on the AP exam. Meanwhile, in other elite high schools, students can save a year of time by pursuing more advanced courses instead, should they be qualified to do so. 
   Blocking APs from underclassmen also  harms their participation in activities outside of school. Many extracurriculars require knowledge that students would only have the opportunity to properly learn in AP courses. This includes clubs such as Distributive Education Clubs of America, Euro Challenge, Model United Nations, debate, as well as business-related clubs that require skills taught in AP Macro-Microeconomics. 
   Additionally, many students in the Science Olympiad would also benefit  from  more  availability of science APs, such as biology, chemistry, and physics. Without access to these AP courses, students will simply turn to a different solution to enhance their academic knowledge: self-studying. However, self-studying an AP class can not only be extremely difficult for students in terms of effectively learning the content, but also in time management. This is especially the case for underprivileged students, who may not have the resources to acquire study aids and tutors, causing them to lag behind their more privileged peers in these extracurriculars. Rather than having underprivileged students struggle with difficult material to keep up, having equal opportunities for courses would level the playing field and alleviate mental stress for all students. 
    At the end of the day, PHS’s policies should strive to reflect the academic needs that much of our student body demonstrates. Our restrictiveness on AP courses is stifling the academic growth and potential of our underclassmen who are ready and eager to tackle more advanced material. By limiting access to these challenging courses, we not only hinder individual student achievement but also undermine the success of our extracurricular programs and competitive academic teams. Opening up AP courses to  qualified  freshmen  and  sophomores  would  provide equal opportunities for all students, regardless of their background, to not only excel academically but also thrive in their extracurricular pursuits. It is important that we reconsider these policies to foster a more inclusive and intellectually stimulating environment, instead of forcing everyone into mediocrity in the name of equity. 

Helen Yu's Work