Yup, you probably saw the title and thought, “Huh?” It seems quite unbelievable to equate a highly intelligent person to someone incapable of excelling at AP classes, a place where intelligence can roam across FRQs and Final AP exams. You may be inclined to wonder what type of intelligent person doesn’t have a string of 5’s on their AP exams under their belt. To be honest, I’m thinking that too! This is why we need to address the stigma that a lack of AP coursework is synonymous with a lacking intellect.
What do you think of when intelligence first comes to mind, especially within an academic context? You probably envision someone that’s constantly in the library after school? Check. Someone who can complete an assignment in a timely manner? Check. Someone who gets consistent A’s on their tests? Check. What about someone with an impossible transcript? Check?
As opposed to being intrigued and curious about a specific topic, AP classes aren’t really the first-choice when it comes to intellectual curiosity, but we treat AP classes as though they’re an IQ test. Surely, every guidance counselor is adamant that we take them and these classes are great for exposing ourselves to material that could be used in the real world. However, it is important to know that access to higher level classes does not indicate a student is morecapable than any other.
Slapping labels such as “gifted” and “intelligent” on AP students is not only detrimental to a student’s academic self esteem but also potentially, their performance. Intelligence isn’t a commodity to label, but rather the gift to apply knowledge effectively to a broad number of areas, and if we continue to attribute such abilities to AP students on account of their course selections, we only further perpetuate potential failure. The relationship between these two variables only becomes a never-ending cycle of insecurity because even amongst the most capable students who have several AP courses, there will always be a hint of comparison, a hint of academic insecurity that reminds them that they’re not enough, even if they see another transcript through a screen. So, actually you’re not dumb if you don’t have enough AP classes! You’re just as great as the student who does but it’s important for us to make this distinction individually. There is nothing much schools can do to fix this cycle of academic insecurity, as it is a problem that we must deal with ourselves and the way we think of such classes: Intelligence can be measured by many factors and the type of classes you take aren’t one of them. We must be willing to learn to display our intellectualism and that comes from innovation, using what we learned for a greater good. AP classes do not do this for us, these classes are not meant to hold our hand in assisting to make a difference in the world, whether through an organization or an invention. This is something we do ourselves and it all starts with curiosity and willingness to grow and learn.