Junior Annette Olivas balances her academic and personal life all at once. Taking four AP classes can be a struggle for many young scholars, while they already have enough on their plate, they can tend to get more tired under pressure and stress, but with enough effort and dedication, you can balance both hobbies and schoolwork.

“It can be stressful and hard to maintain many things at once but just making sure I study and take the time to put in the work, I know I can get it done,” Olivas said. “AP courses can be difficult if you don’t participate or pay attention in class, but if you continue to put in the hard work, anything is possible.” 

Balancing AP courses with extracurriculars is a high-stakes challenge and often leads to burnout, high stress and reduced sleep.

“I want to continue to pursue AP classes and dual credit courses as well,” Olivas said. “While I am not entirely set on the exact classes I want to take, I understand I need to continue to put in the effort and dedication to achieve my academic goals.”

Olivas is currently taking, US history, physics, pre-calculus and english. This gives her a lot more on her plate and a lot more work to get done. Olivas fills daily planners to help arrange all of her classes.

It can be quite overwhelming, as AP testing takes place in the first week of May. Olivas said that physics is her hardest AP course.

“Keeping things organized and being on top of my work really helps me in the long run,” Olivas said.  

Taking AP courses automatically means you earn 10 points towards your GPA and taking the AP exam, earns you credit for your college education.

“For the AP classes I have taken over the course of the semester, I was able to get a grasp on how each class has benefited me and how I can better understand the curriculum all together,” Olivas said.