If your school offers AP classes and you've challenged yourself by enrolling in one or more during your senior year of high school, congratulations! You're doing exactly what you should be doing! That being said, it can be easy to fall into a "senior slump" and lose motivation to study for AP exams during your final weeks of high school. I know the feeling, trust me, but it is important to push through and make sure you do well regardless of how bad a case of "senioritis" you've come down with.

AP classes are fantastic opportunities in many ways. At my high school, I was able to travel to New York City (as pictured) and DC for a couple days with my AP Government class, and it was one of my favorite high school memories. From a more academic standpoint, doing well on your AP exams will greatly increase your high school GPA if you do well, and therefore boost your chances of attending a reputable university like UMass Amherst. This is great for getting accepted into college, but AP exams can also continue to help you after you graduate high school! At UMass, you can receive college credit based on how well you do on your AP exam. Usually, these credits give you an immediate leg-up on other students because you'll have already met some of the gen-ed requirements before you've even started taking classes at UMass!

Personally, I came in with twelve AP credits, which allowed me to be finished with all of my gen-ed requirements after second semester freshman year. It also serves as a buffer so that I don't feel any pressure to overload on credits and can enjoy taking a nice fifteen credits each semester. Furthermore, coming in with AP credits has allowed me to register for classes with increased standing. As a second semester freshman, I had "sophomore standing," which gave me an advantage when picking classes.

Try not to let the senior year hecticness get to your head, and good luck on your AP exams in the spring!