Sarah Logan

Name: Sarah Logan

Grade: 11

Role: AP student

1. How many AP classes are you in, and how has your motivation/drive for each class shifted due to corona?

“I am in three AP classes, [including AP Chemistry]. At first, I was really focused on my APs and learning, but now I’ve kind of given up.”

2. Are you still signed up to take the exams? What are your thoughts on the online versions? 

“I am still signed up to take the exams. I think they will be a lot harder this year, especially since there are only 1-2 questions in 45 minutes. Since it’s also open note, I think the CollegeBoard will make it harder. If you don’t know a question, you’re almost doomed to fail because CollegeBoard made it short enough that you won’t really have that much time to look things up. Before the Coronavirus, there would have been multiple aspects of your knowledge being tested, but now it hyper focuses on one or two things. It’s a good system for at home, and I think CollegeBoard is trying its best to come up with a reasonable solution that prevents cheating while also testing people on the broadest content of their knowledge, which is a difficult task.”

3. For AP Chemistry especially, how are you preparing for such a rigorous course from home? 

“For AP Chem, I’m watching the review videos from the CollegeBoard, and I am also going over my notes from the year. It’s difficult not being with the other people in the class because we usually worked in groups to help each other figure things out and to motivate each other, so I feel like we’ve lost an aspect of that being at home now.”

4. How has the format of the AP Chem exam changed? Are you grateful for these changes, or would you rather it have stayed the same?

“AP Chem is now only two free-response questions. I don’t like these changes because FRQ’s have to have very specific answers and are usually on pretty specific topics. So if you mess up, you aren’t going to have a very good result, whereas before if you didn’t know or messed up on an FRQ, you had the other parts of the test to help improve your test score.”

5. How do you manage your time for each AP class as a student? Do you find there is more or less work?

“I definitely feel like there’s a lot less work. In most of my classes, it’s all been review. I usually study for a little bit in the mornings on Monday-Thursday, but I’m going to start studying a lot more since they’re coming up soon.”

6. Do you think your teachers are preparing you well, considering the circumstances?

“For the most part, I think my teachers are doing a really good job adapting to the circumstances. I think they’re providing us with a lot of good resources and helping us prepare. It’s just difficult not being in school, and motivation is pretty low for everyone.”