AP courses are the most challenging courses that BPHS offers. 

Though many shy away due to the fear of becoming overwhelmed, these courses are some of the most beneficial classes one can take in order to prepare themselves for higher education.

AP classes include challenging assignments; however, they provide you with the opportunity to dive deeper into a subject than you can in any regular/honors classes. 

If there is a subject that you’re interested in, it would be a great idea to consider enrolling in one of these classes. Also, with hard work, AP classes can boost your GPA since they are on a 5.0 grading scale.

One of the classes included in the BPHS curriculum is AP Psychology.

BPHS does have regular psychology, which covers many of the same subjects; however, it is more of an overview class since it is only one semester. 

BPHS counselors highly recommend taking the regular psychology course before taking AP Psychology, but it is not required.  

Currently being taught by Mrs. Smock, AP Psychology is one of the most popular classes at the high school.

In this course, you will learn about the biological structures of the mind, the behavioral and cognitive development of organisms, significant individuals from the field, as well as different psychological disorders. 

In total, there are 14 different units that students will go through during this course.

It is said that this class is primarily a project and test-based class. A lot of the homework completed revolves around research or studying. 

One of the favorite units of the class is Unit 7, which deals with motivation, emotion, and personality.

Senior Anna Minick said: “It was interesting to learn about the mental factors that drive how we behave. I also enjoyed taking a personality test in which we could see what category of personality type we fall into.”

The class revolves around the Myers’ Psychology textbook in which students get a physical copy of when they first begin the class. 

Many students highly recommend reading each chapter of the textbook because both the in-class exams and the AP exam contain a lot of information that is provided in the textbook.

To study, senior Lauren Heh said: “First I read over the chapter and focus on studying the vocabulary. After that, I’ll find a practice test online to make sure I understand the content.”

Mrs. Smock has been teaching AP Psychology for around four years and said, “I enjoy teaching it, and I believe it is such an intriguing subject.”

AP Psychology is a great way to start off your AP class journey and broaden your intellectual horizon.