In light of course selection season, here are some AP courses I would recommend that aren’t too difficult, can be useful for your future, and/or contain interesting material!
AP Government and Politics
This is one of the easier APs, especially since the essays you write are much easier than the DBQs or LEQs you write in AP history classes. The course material is also practical and useful in understanding the U.S. government and civic engagement.
AP Psychology
Similar to AP Gov, this class isn’t very difficult and includes topics that can be applied in many real-world situations. The exams are mostly multiple choice, and questions can be answered based on common sense most of the time.
AP Computer Science Principles
Since it focuses on teaching the principles of computer science rather than just computer science itself, there’s less focus on coding and more on just understanding the thinking behind it. There’s also very minimal, if any, work outside of class, and part of the AP exam grade is a project you work on in class.
AP World History
Although writing timed essays is a big part of AP World, the content of this class is interesting and wide-ranging, allowing students to learn about important historical events outside of just American or European history. There are lots of notes to take, though!
AP Environmental Science
APES is similar to AP Biology, but I would say it’s easier. There’s less to memorize because a lot of the material is common knowledge or already learned in previous science classes, but there are still notes and lab reports to write, and the tests can be challenging. However, the labs can be fun (cookie mining and flower planting!).
AP Microeconomics
Most people take this class to earn their financial literacy credit, and it is usually considered an easier AP. The concepts aren’t super difficult, but it’s pretty math-based, and it’s important to understand relationships between things like supply and demand or price and quantity.
AP English Language and Composition
I think AP Lang was one of the most useful classes I’ve ever taken, since it teaches writing in a much more standardized way that prepares you for college writing and standardized testing. I enjoy reading, so I appreciated the books I got to read in AP Lang, but I was not a fan of writing timed essays.
AP Statistics
Although I personally find statistics pretty boring, it’s a very useful class to take and can be applied across a wide range of careers. There’s not too much homework, and a lot of it is review from previous math classes, so if you’re looking for an easier alternative to calculus, AP Stats might be a good choice for you.
