By Julia Kim
In the 2022-2023 school year, NHP Memorial introduced two new Advanced Placement classes in the curriculum: AP Seminar and AP Research. Students are able to apply to take AP Seminar in their sophomore year as a replacement for their typical English class; subsequently, they are expected to take AP Research class as an elective in their junior year. NHP’s class of 2025 is the first to take the entire Capstone curriculum, and the students couldn’t be happier–yet those not taking the course remain uninformed about what really goes on behind the scenes. What do you even learn in AP Capstone? Is it difficult? What is the day in the life of an AP Capstone student? This article will be answering these questions and more, to share the joy that every single AP Capstone student experiences during the days approaching portfolio submission.
*Note: Ignore the sizable quotations in this section. AP Capstone students are trained to meet their 1,200 to 5,000 word counts.
Q: What is AP Capstone, really? I heard a rumor that it is just a front for lazy students who need a free period to sleep, is this true?
“No, that's not true at all! Instead, it's good for students who struggle with procrastination as they can blame their troubles on the 5,000 word paper they have to write (they haven’t started it),” AP Research student Deborah Aderibigbe said.
Q: Do you manage your time well in AP Capstone?
“I like to call AP Capstone AP Productivity!!! I have never ever had a late night writing a 2,000 word paper in one night due to poor time management skills. I have found myself as organized as ever, you could even say more organized than usual! I highly recommend this class to everyone ever,” AP Seminar student Disha Chakraborty said.
Q: How hard is AP Capstone?
“I think AP Capstone as a whole is truly a stress-free program, and specifically AP Research is my least stressful class when compared to other classes I have to take. With hours of research, planning, data analysis, and many more, the to-do list for this class is never ending!”, AP Research student Tiffany Tso said. “It really brings joy to my heart when I see the 28 responses I have to dedicate hours of my day to analyzing–not to mention it’s qualitative so that’s a plus in my book! It’s also the least stressful due to the 15-20 minute presentation I have to do at the end of year, and who can forget that this entire grade determines my self worth as a student! Haha.”
Source by Caffeine-Powered AP Capstone Student
AP Research students reaching their inner zen.
One of AP Research’s finest students, junior Joseph James, has been gracious enough to share a day in his life as an AP Research student. Productivity radiates, no, oozes from this student. He starts off his day strong, immediately getting into the AP Research mindset.
“Well, you see, I’m dreaming about AP Research before I even wake up. Before I even start the day, fond memories of the class flood my mind and I can’t help but smile in my sleep. People think it’s eerie but it’s really just my love for the class. It doesn’t end there either: I am awoken every morning by my alarm screaming the words ‘AP Research due soon’ followed by five consecutive blasts for an air horn. Afterwards, I waste no time in opening my Google Doc which contains my well-thought out research paper I’ve been leisurely working on for months. I run to school in the rain to get my mind pumping to do some research; third period, my mind is pumping to spend the period ultra-productively!”, junior Joseph James said. “I do all of my work in class–after all us research kids don’t do much work outside of school. Throughout the day, I can’t help but stare fondly at my research. ‘What good memories,’ I say to myself. ‘What beautiful citations.’ Once I get home I realize I have two days to submit the paper and prepare to work a tad faster than normal but only a little as I am definitely almost done. I finish the small amount of work I do at an early 2:00 A.M. and go about the rest of my day absolutely joyful that I decided to take this class two years ago.”
Immediately after he finished saying this, Joseph ran out of the room, yelling that ‘he had a paper to finish’.
Q: Do you have any final words of advice for future AP Capstone students?
“Your sleep schedule will be fine. Trust me,” AP Research student Suha Tasfia said.
“Good luck. You’re going to need it!”, AP Research student Eliana Park said.
At the end of the day, it’s clear that AP Capstone is an easy under-taking for any student at NHP. Just look at the Capstone students right now, it’s almost laughable how light-hearted and carefree they feel during the heart of AP season. I mean, who wouldn’t embrace serenity with a feasible schedule starting at 7:00 A.M. and ending at 2:00 A.M.? After all, that’s why everyone says 5 hours of sleep for a 5 on the AP!
Source by Library Lurker
Two AP Research students diligently working on their AP Research papers. Wait, is that chemistry?!