AP Biology

Ashley Kim, Managing Editor

AP Biology is a class for those who truly love biology- the study of all life. It has the rigor and the challenge of a college-level introductory biology class, and it includes labs and activities that expose students to modern day techniques and discoveries in biotechnology and bioinformatics. It also sufficiently prepares students for the AP Biology test in May. This test assesses a student’s understanding and knowledge of biology via free response questions and a multiple choice section.

Being a challenging class, AP Biology requires commitment. The class has homework that takes about thirty minutes to an hour every night- if one divides up the work and reading. Junior Joanne Baek said, “I think that AP Biology is challenging because you really have to learn to manage your time wisely. I really enjoy Biology as a subject, but I find that you need to know how to study independently as well in order for you to understand the concepts.”

AP Biology is currently taught by Ms. Megan Sininger, Dublin High School’s new biology teacher. Her vibrant and open-minded personality, as well as her knowledge, has made AP Biology into a class where all can learn. On her class, Ms. Sininger said, “Because of the rigor of the course, it is highly recommended that you only take this course if you have a genuine interest in Biology. Similar to any college course, independent work must be put in outside of class to succeed. Interested and motivated students should possess a strong work ethic and excellent time management skills.”

Apart from being a time commitment, AP Biology is a learning experience. Students learn study skills and lessons that can be applied later on in college. Students who work hard, try their best, and keep a positive attitude, even if they do not understand a specific concept, are bound to succeed in AP Biology. Baek agreed with this, saying, “Through this class, I’ve learned that it’s okay to ask questions and to keep on trying!”

Essentially, AP Biology is a fulfilling class that one should take if they love biology and are willing to put in the effort to do well.

AP Calc AB & BC

Alexandra Stassinopoulos, Editor-in-Chief

Taking AP Calculus is like being forced to measure everything with a ruler your whole life and then being handed a tape measure. You finally learn how to find the slope of curved lines and the area under a curve. If compared to your previous math classes, AP Calculus can best be described as Algebra on steroids, with a booster shot of Trig.

If you like number problems, calculus can be fun because as far as math goes, the possibilities have become endless. That being said, the class is a lot of work, with about an hour of homework every day. Homework is graded for correctness and there are projects. The only two teachers who teach AP Calculus are Ms. Tanimasa (AB only) and Ms. Lawson (AB & BC) , so if you know either teacher’s notes style doesn’t work for you, take that into consideration.

If you are a determined student, who thinks they can handle this workload and enjoy it, then take the class. However, if you’re on the fence, don’t take the class because eventually you will eventually be the person crying every night as they try to do their homework. Consider yourself forewarned.

If you took AB this year, take BC next year; it’s fun!

 AP Chemistry

Janice Liu, Writer

AP Chemistry builds onto the concepts students learn in their first year Chemistry courses. As an AP class, AP Chemistry is a fast-paced, rigorous class intended to prepare students to take the AP exam. With a test expected to be given approximately every 2 weeks, students are expected to be independent learners. Students should understand that this class requires will a sufficient amount of time to prepare for labs, tests, and the AP exam.

“While some people can put in less effort and still clutch with a 100% on the finals, you shouldn’t bet on it. Besides, everything builds up so you’ve got to keep in mind that slacking off for one chapter will probably just mean that you’ll have to relearn that chapter to actually understand a later chapter,” advises Megan Leng.

In terms of the workload, sophomore Archishma Kavalipati says, “it’s okay on most days, you just have to keep up with assignments when they’re assigned.”

“Honestly, the workload shouldn’t be anything you can’t manage. Most of the homework and lessons aren’t that difficult as long as you actually do them and follow along in class,” added sophomore Megan Leng.

Labs also are a crucial part of this class. Megan Leng says “The labs are actually really fun; I feel like they really help with understanding some concepts.”

Although this class is challenging, Kavalipati believes “it’s a really interesting and rewarding class!”

For more information about this class, look at the Course Selection Handbook and Mr. Vereen’s website.

AP European History

Vikram Nithyanandam, Writer

AP Euro is a very rigorous class meant for sophomores only. It is taught by Mr. Rodriguez and Mr. Ruegg. In AP Euro, future sophomores will study the history of Europe in depth from the 1300s all the way to the late 20th century. Many histories from many countries are covered at the same time in political, economical, social terms. The wars fought between each countries, treaties, kings, queens and other great powers of Europe. Art, philosophy and music is also covered and how it slowly changed and grew throughout the centuries as well. The tests can be very difficult or normal depending the chapter or content that suits you. Tests and discussion make up most of the grade while homework is a small yet affecting factor of your grade. If you take it, be sure to consider carefully if you’re ready or not. World History is still a viable option.

AP French

Kaushikee Nayudu, Writer

AP French is an immersive class designed to develop strong speaking, comprehension, and writing skills in addition to preparing students for the AP exam. The class relies heavily on material designed for native speakers of the language, and exposes students to facets of French culture. The class has been described by several as a fun, but stressful environment that demands hard work and discipline. The workload isn’t as bad as would be expected from an AP but the class is heavily dependent on projects, and assignments.

Below you can find the descriptions of students who have taken or are taking the class:

“Be prepared to take criticism. If you can’t handle criticism, don’t take the class.” – Hussein, Sophomore

“It’s an amazing class, we eat cookies every week, drink hot cocoa every Friday, and we get cake once a month.” – Vade Shah, Junior

“Hardest class at Dublin High. I can feel myself slowly dying. It’s fun though.” – Julia Kang, Junior

“You always have to speak in French. We have lot’s of discussions on relevant modern topics, and there’s honestly not a lot of work.” – Brian Kim, Sophomore

“You haven’t lived until you’ve taken AP French. Tons of fun, and definitely worth it.”

– AP French Class, Three Sophomores, Ten Juniors, and Three Seniors

AP Microeconomics / AP Government

Vikram Nithyanandam, Writer

AP Micro and AP Gov are semester classes meant to be taken senior year. AP Micro generally talks about the economy and how to work in our country and internationally. There are lots of notes to take and tests as well to ensure your understanding of the topic. AP Gov merely focuses on the structure of the US government and its three branches, which are the legislative, executive and judicial, and what powers each of them have over the other. According to seniors currently taking these classes, both AP Micro and AP Gov have rigorous tests and notes are very important when taking the class. Senior Hania G. stated that, “Both classes are really interesting as long as you can handle the courseload, the note-taking, and can ask for help when you need to.” But it’s not mandatory to take both classes at the same time. Any student can take either AP Micro or AP Gov and fill the other semester with Civics or Economics, respectively.

AP Human Geography

Vikram Nithyanandam, Writer

AP HUG is taught by Ms. Ball and is a rigorous course on how humans have shaped the land and how the structure of land in different countries and regions affects the populations in those places. The tests are generally very difficult, while there is generally not too much homework. There are many in-class activities, games and projects done in AP HUG. Many parts of the class is hands-on taught much differently than the average class of social studies.

AP Language and Composition

Daniel Oden, Writer

For future juniors who want to take a more challenging english course for the year of 2017-2018, the english department offers AP English Language. One perk to taking this course, apart from the grade bump, will allow you to take AP English Literature in your Senior year.

Another benefit of this class is that it helps you in all subjects, not just English. “I thought AP Lang was great because the writing curriculum helped with my writing in other classes,” said Senior Alexandra Stassinopoulos, who had Mr. Dance last year. “AP Lang is all about understanding other people’s’ arguments and building your own. The skills I learned in that class have not only made AP Lit easier, but also AP Gov and Engineering.”  

You will have summer work to do if you choose to take this class and you will be required to do a lot of reading in class, a lot more than if you were to take English Honors 11. Because of this, heavy analysis and comprehension of these texts will be required. You should take this class if you want to either go into AP Literature, or if you would like to go improve your writing for college.

AP Mandarin

Kaushikee Nayudu, Writer

AP Mandarin is a rigorous and comprehensive course that focuses on enhancing the listening, speaking, and composition skills required to excel on the AP Mandarin test. The class demands understanding of Chinese culture, and is focused on teaching the language through various facets of culture. Students are introduced to a wide range of audio and reading material to ensure their understanding of the language. The class is considered by several to be an enjoyable class, but the weight of the AP exam can make the experience stressful.

The AP Mandarin class is taught by Ms.Xu, she’s explained her expectations for incoming students below:

“The class isn’t a very hard one, I don’t assign a lot of homework or such. Most homework is on a weekly system, but the class is thought from the perspective of culture. We think about Chinese economy, politics and teach the language through those aspects of culture. Again, it’s not all that bad in terms of workload and all the students have told me that they have a a lot of fun in the class. It’s a great class to expand your understanding of the Chinese language and culture.” – Ms.Xu, AP Mandarin Teacher

Here’s what students who have taken or are taking the class have to say about it:

“Really fun and immersive experience. Lots of fun parties, and Ms.Xu always exposes us to activities, and videos that people our age enjoy watching in China.” – Audrey Kang, Freshman

“The AP test feels stressful, and there’s sometimes some confusing elements but overall it’s a really great experience.The class goes beyond the basics of the language, and really helps connect you to the culture.” – Senior

AP Spanish Literature

Vikram Nithyanandam, Writer

AP Spanish Literature, or more commonly known as AP SPLIT, is taught by Ms. Quintanilla, and is one of hardest language classes offered in the Language Department. There are many readings of poems and different texts in Spanish from the past. They tend to have moral lessons and meanings in each one. The students have to memorize each text’s meaning and other information related to each one for the AP exam, which is extremely tough. The homework is difficult, with about an hour or more homework every day, but nothing too difficult that the student can’t handle after the first few weeks of getting used to it.

AP Statistics

Anvitha Kachinthaya, Writer

At Dublin High School, AP Statistics is taught by Ms. Kim, and is an analysis course involving data and probability. Students who take it agree that it is a great math class to take, with a lot of real-world applications and a passionate and helpful teacher to guide and prepare students for the AP test in May. For those thinking about taking the class, the homework may take up to an hour and a half daily, depending on the student, and tests are about two to three weeks apart.

When asked what they would say about the class, here are the responses of a few students:

“I would say that it’s a great math class to take, because it’s very different from traditional math and it has a lot of real world applications. Ms. Kim is an amazing teacher and her class is really fun. I would suggest asking a lot of questions in class to make sure you completely understand the topics before the tests and quizzes.” Roshni Sarathy, 10

“For future AP Statistics students, it is not a hard course, as long as you take notes, complete the labs, and do the homework. The teacher, Ms. Kim, tries to make her classes as fun as possible. The tests can be hard, so it’s important that you concentrate on your homework, because there are problems from the test that are taken directly from the homework.

Statistics is very different from the usual math courses, but it can also be fun if you keep up with the lessons.” Emily Nie, 10

“Tip: Do every single bit of homework and make sure you understand every little bit.” Hannah Abraham, 10

“AP Statistics is a great class! Ms. Kim is a passionate and very knowledgeable teacher who can convey any idea very well to her students. It is definitely a hard class, in my opinion, but Ms. Kim makes it really enjoyable and easy to understand the concepts. A few tips I would give would be to review the concepts as soon as you take notes so you don’t cram it all the day before the test, and always finish your homework.” Tanvi Vaidya, 10

“For AP Statistics, I would have to say that I absolutely love Ms. Kim and everything she teaches. She makes the class really enjoyable and I look forward to it everyday. If I have any tips for incoming students, it would be to make sure to do the homework assignments because those help a lot for tests and quizzes. I highly recommend the class.” Rujula Muralidhar, 10