By Dylan Sawhney
As the year comes to a close, many students are preparing to take their AP exams. Looking back, there was one standout class that broke the mold of a traditional AP and even that of a high school English class, AP Seminar.
AP Seminar is a unique research-based writing class with an emphasis on presentations and report writing. Despite these differences, the class has been one of the most enjoyable I have taken, and students in my class and in other classes have also said similar things.
Sam Lee, a sophomore at Irvington High School, told the Paw Print ,”I am very happy I took this class. My parents told me I shouldn’t take it, but it ended up being a very fun experience. There is a good balance of work, and they give you a lot of freedom for your presentations and essays.”
The class features two essays, one being a 1,000-word individual research report (IRR), and the other being a 2,000 word individual written argument (IWA). Moreover, after writing the essays, you synthesize both into presentations, with the IWA forming an individual persuasive presentation, and a group presentation being made with the information from your group’s IRRs.
My experiences in the class have been nothing but positive. The freedom they give you is great for truly emerging yourself in your topics’ details, and especially useful for refining your work with professional stylistic choices. All the more powerful is the fact that you are encouraged to talk about topics that you are actually passionate about.
Paul Van Haetsdaele said, “I am preparing to give my final presentation, and looking back, I loved the class. It was a nice break from other English classes, and I encourage everyone to take it eventually.”
My advice for future students is to stay on top of your work. The work comes in waves, and one week there won’t be a lot, and the next week you will be working for hours. This is especially true in the weeks before major deadlines for essays and presentations. Often this chaotic rush can lead to feelings of being overwhelmed, nonetheless it exemplifies the need for students to develop strong work habits.
Overall, I would advise everyone to take the class. Even if you are not into research, the abilities you develop from presenting, managing deadlines, and working with others are skills you can easily translate to life.
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