How AP Psychology Has Impacted My Life by Matelda

How AP Psychology Has Impacted My Life by Matelda - September 2017 Scholarship Essay

In the midst of four other honors classes and studying for the SAT, my junior year already seemed hectic enough, so adding in an AP class didn't seem like the best idea. However, after a tiny, yet largely impacting mistake on my schedule, I managed to find myself doing just that. Luckily for me, after just a few weeks of taking this class, I knew I made the right choice. Taking this AP Psychology class has broadened my perspective on education and has allowed me to find an atmosphere where I can work hard without facing the strict deadlines every AP student fears. It has also shown me that each of us has our own path in life. Even if all of my friends are in a different class, I still have to stick to my own path and have faith in my decisions.

I wasn't sure what I was expecting to learn from this class and I certainly didn't believe it would change my outlook on information to the degree that it did. The way the brain works and conveys feelings has always interested me, but I had no clue what this field of knowledge really consisted of prior to taking it. Within the first few chapters of my textbook, I had learned information not just about psychology specifically, but also other general information that pertains to studying human behavior and thoughts. It was such a pleasant surprise to see that knowledge about how the mind influences behavior could match the same information I was taught in other subjects. I would learn about statistics in Psychology and then go calculate the line of regression in Math. I would learn the method scientists use to conduct experiments in the morning, and then write a formal lab report later on in the day. I would read about Sigmund Freud’s belief in the Oedipus Complex, only to read Oedipus itself in English class a week later! As ironic as this sounds, knowledge itself is like the human brain I've studied about. Its fields and sub-fields connect with one another like neurons in the human body. Taking this elective has allowed me to fully see these connections.

AP classes are usually the most difficult classes that a high school will offer. Thus, they're certain to come with a bundle of stress, free of charge. Even so, being in this AP class has allowed me to have a class I can look forward to because of its overall lack of stress compared to other AP courses. The less tedious assignments help me memorize information, while the more time-consuming ones have more set-back dates that give me the time to fully understand what I'm learning as I balance them with other work. This makes me feel like I'm able to really enjoy a portion of my school day.

Making such a last-minute decision about an AP class seemed crazy. I had planned to avoid all advanced placement courses to give myself extra free time. However, I threw caution to the wind and did tried something new and unique; I took an advanced placement course at the last minute. I was the only one out of my friends that was enrolled in it, but that didn't matter to me. This elective showed me that I should go my own route and form my own experience in life. It has encouraged me to think about what I want to pursue in the future and if psychology is a field I want to work in.

Other than letting me brag about all the cool stuff I get to do in this class, which I have to admit has been a nice benefit, this class has positively impacted my life in three ways. AP Psychology has showed me how seemingly unrelated subjects can compare to each other all the time and that I can create my own path in life. It has also become the class I can look forward to during a long day because my teacher chose not to teach it in a strict manner, in contrast to how most other AP classes are taught. These ways in which my life has been impacted by an elective encourage me to keep loving to learn.