Last year, when I sat down with my counselor to create my schedule, I wrote down two AP classes: Spanish and Psychology.

I felt obligated to take AP Spanish because that was the next step after Spanish 4, and AP Psychology because I was interested in the topic. 

But when the year started, my biggest struggle was being intimidated by the rest of my classmates. 

After all, sitting next to me were seniors Joe Carper, the class of 2020 valedictorian; Mathew Hayden, a future NASA worker; Addison Hoffer, a talented artist; and Duncan Soughan, a talented writer. 

To put it simply, I was scared I was not smart enough to hold a conversation or even sit within a few feet of them. 

Some Juniors who have never taken an AP or advanced class shouldn’t be intimidated by their peers who have taken many.

I myself learned that my intelligence has nothing to do with relating to my super-smart peers. My hesitations were simply wrapped in a lack of familiarity.  

Since some students have been a part of the AP program since their freshmen year, they have felt the need to go on to the next AP class, and over time everything has built up and they find themselves taking multiple AP classes. 

However, students should not feel the need to do this because it might not be the best class for them and it could cause more stress on them.

Although the AP program is different from other classes it does not mean that students should be scared.