Time and stress management can be difficult at times for many especially when it comes to balancing classwork. Specifically for AP students, their classes tend to run at a faster and more intense pace. Here is a deeper look at how a few AP students at PHS balance time and stress within their academics.
Homework plays a fairly large role in these AP students’ lives and is something that they need to balance daily. “I spend 2-3 hours on homework on a school day and my free Saturdays look like 5 hours, so per week I spend about 18 hours on homework,” says Junior, Ruth Sprenger. This is a major time commitment for these students, finding strategies to balance work inside and outside of the classroom. Some of Ruth’s strategies are “ keeping organized, my space, my bag, and Google Keep…I prioritize the most important work, setting aside the less important work.”
Along with a fair amount of work given to them, these students still participate in extracurricular activities or sports. “ I’m also busy with sports, I like to designate time before or after practice to finish homework,” says Junior, Jules Staley. Setting aside specific amounts of time helps her balance both sports and her advanced classes.
Additionally, stress management is also very important to these students. “ I usually don’t work outside of the time I had specifically set aside for homework,” says Staley. Sprenger also adds “ I let myself step away by doing calming activities. My mental health is more important than homework.”
If you’re interested in enrolling in an AP class, some advice these students have is to make sure you’re challenging yourself and taking an advanced class that interests you, along with making friends within the class to create a more enjoyable experience.
