The Ugly Truth...

...about AP classes.
Well, I guess it isn't really all that ugly, but here are a few things I wish I knew before I took two of them this year.

1. They may not be that hard, but they're a ton of work. It depends on the class you take, but a lot of them are really pretty easy with straightforward material. The material is just given to you in a way that requires a lot of work. Expect to write a lot of papers. Like, a lot. Pretty soon the standard intro-2/3 body paragraphs-conclusion set up will be so second nature to you that you start to organize your thoughts in that manner.
2. The teachers vary a lot. You can end up with someone like my AP Lit teacher, who is still pretty nurturing and very ready to help students, or you can get someone like my AP Euro teacher, who is more or less a crotchety old man who is sometimes lovable and hilarious. A good example of this is the e-mail I sent to both of them the other day when I got sick that basically told them that I'd be missing school so it would be great if they could tell me what happened in class. The reply I got from my AP Lit teacher praised me for being responsible and checking in even when I'm sick and said that she hoped I felt better soon. My AP Euro teacher said "Do this and this and this. See you tomorrow." Get the picture? My AP Gov teacher last year was somewhere between the two of them; not quite nurturing and not crotchety. You'll also notice that they all have a very different style of teaching, which can be something along the lines of lecturing (Gov), trying to fit a bunch of material in with varied teaching styles (Lit), or holding a class discussion based on textbook reading (Euro).
3. Just because homework isn't assigned doesn't mean there isn't any. Mr. EuroTeacher is notorious for doing this. Then again, so is Ms. LitTeacher. In Euro, we usually have specific assignments about three times a week, and the rest of the time we're supposed to be reading our textbooks to prepare for class discussion. In Lit we get assigned a lot of long term projects all at once. Like I just finished the final draft of a research project assigned in November, and since then I've had to read a novel and a few plays. And now I have to read another novel. And a novel for Euro. 
4. Get used to setting your own deadlines. This is one I'm not quite used to yet. But it's really important. Usually the way it goes is: Here's a book. Here's when the book should be finished, usually a month or so from now. I am now not going to mention this book in class again until the week before it needs to be done. Until then, we're going to read this 20 page short story, write these essays, and read this play. That's exactly how my satire unit in Lit happened. I didn't finish the book. I...I didn't really...start...actually...
5. You're only allowed to complain to those who feel your pain. Feel free to bitch with your Euro friends about your thousand homework assignments and how pissy the teacher was that day, but quite frankly, nobody else cares. And here's the other thing about complaining about being busy: you need to remember that it's your choice. It especially grinds my gears when someone is saying how crappy their life has become because they have thirteen hours of theatre rehearsal and then basketball practice and then they have to stay up until three in the morning doing homework. You didn't have to audition for theatre or try out for basketball, now did you? So stop it, because I won't pity you. I'm being particularly vocal about this now because my school is currently in the thick of competition theatre season. And don't get me wrong, I love every single theatre kid to death, because I'm one of them in the offseason, but I am so sick of hearing about all the crap they have to do. Stick to complaining about your busying activities with the people you share them with, and a lot less people will be annoyed with you. 
6. Relax, gosh dangit. I know it's hard. Trust me, I do. But that doesn't mean that you need to try and force your life together. Usually, it just falls into place. Don't worry about trying to cram a social life into your schedule, because it'll just stress you out even more. AP classes kind of become your life, and you'll meet some really awesome people in them and get to bond over your assignments and what not. My Euro class is kind of like a really weird family that gets to share a bunch of awesome inside jokes. I've met some really great juniors and seniors in my Lit class that I normally wouldn't have gotten to know. So AP classes aren't always a big stress machine. So just breathe every now and then, because this is not going to last for the rest of your life.