The heads of three of the most prestigious private high schools in Washington DC, which produce an outsized share of the entering class of many of the most selective colleges in the US, recently penned an op-ed detailing their reasons for removing AP classes from their curriculum.

They point out the obvious: with AP classes now so ubiquitous across high schools, the value of taking college-level coursework in high school has been dramatically reduced as it relates to the college admissions process. 

They are right.

Colleges are searching for passionate students capable of making a difference in their community.  No amount of AP classes, or perfect grades in these classes, will ever paint a picture of who your child is and what she is capable of accomplishing. 

Make sure that high school affords your child the opportunity to discover who she is and what she wants to do in college and beyond.  Loading up with unnecessarily difficult and time-consuming AP/advanced classes is counterproductive and deprives your child of the opportunity to do things to increase the strength of her application.  Focus on the advanced classes relevant to your child’s area of interest, and skip the ones that are not. 

To read the op-ed, click here.