In 1952, a rudimentary version of the Advanced Placement (AP) program was introduced, offering accelerated instruction in 11 areas at three different prep schools. The mission of the program, created by way of a grant from the Ford Foundation, was to allow high school students to complete college level coursework and, upon the completion of a standardized examination, receive college-credit. The program, in the hands of the College Board since 1955, now presents students with 30 different courses to choose from, and students from across the country participate. In 2008, for example, more than 345,000 students took the AP U.S. History exam, which was the most popular.

While they can be both mentally and economically taxing (each examination costs $87), the benefits of taking AP courses are many. In terms of the individual, the courses offer higher levels of difficulty that some students find enjoyable and the added boon of college-credit.

“I’ve taken as many APs as I possibly can over the years, because I love the challenge, want to earn college credit and improve my applications,” says senior Matt Kinnard, who is currently enrolled in six AP classes and has previously taken six as well.

Matthews has drawn criticism for ignoring factors such as graduation rate and, until recently, passing scores on AP tests, but he has supported the long-term benefits of APs. In what could be seen as an easing of his position, though, Matthews posted an article to his online Washington Post blog (How AP and IB mess up college enrollment, Sept. 3) outlining several potential issues of AP oversaturation. In the blog, he includes several stories of college freshmen at schools that have had trouble dealing with the amount of credits that these incoming students already procured. The main problem, he explains, is that AP credits take the place of introductory courses and that higher-level courses are generally reserved for older students, forcing freshman with an abundance of AP credits to toil in electives that don’t count for their major.

This may stymie individuals wishing to continue the advanced track they began in high school, but colleges seem to think that the postponement of the most difficult classes, in favor of other prerequisites, is a necessary step in a student’s adjustment. “They recommend not taking any too high levels of classes first semester so I am just waiting until later to take the higher classes,” explained Daniel Portner (’10), a former Sherwood student who graduated with numerous AP credits. Portner, and other Sherwood alumni, have avoided the pitfalls which Matthews mentions, indicating that the problems are likely not that widespread.

Also, the most accomplished students can circumvent scheduling issues by attaining sophomore-status. Frostburg State University Admissions Counselor Julie Rando explains how this works at her institution. “If a student starts at FSU with 30 or more credits, they are considered a sophomore. Priority registration for the following semester is determined by the number of credits earned, including credit-by-exam. So the student would get to register for their second semester at FSU earlier than the rest of the first-time freshmen,” said Rando.

The amount of AP classes that students are taking has skyrocketed over the past decade, and students are now matriculating with more credits than ever before. Students must research credit transfer with the same vigilance as other aspects of prospective colleges. Most college websites have a comprehensive list of the credit that will be offered for each score on an exam which they generally follow, in the cases of several former students.