Okay, so before anyone puts this off as some snobby girl trying to brag about her academic achievements, I want you to know this is not about that at all.

Some times in smaller schools, advanced or honors courses are hard to come by. In my high school, we have a fairly decent amount but not as many as there are possible. This plethora of classes is important for students to push themselves and break their academic comfort zones. Those advanced classes give students an insight into what college courses may be like and how to adapt their time management, work ethic, and other life-applicable skills to meet the demands of these rigorous courses.

Time management plays a definite role in success for these demanding courses. Students have to be able to plan when they are going to get their work done and also make sure it is completed in a timely fashion. While this is a great skill in the classroom, it is also a great skill for life. For someone to be able to show they know how to meet a deadline, arrive on time, complete tasks the right way with time to spare, is a skill what will follow them and continue to impress everyone they meet for the rest of their lives.

Advanced courses also give students the need to develop an incredible work ethic. Without one they will surely fail and be disappointed with the outcome of their efforts. Students must learn that sometimes studying is more important than Netflix, no matter how much we don't want it to be. They learn that notes are actually vital for comprehension and need to be done to actually learn content instead of just to earn a grade. In life this will prove that going to a job and doing your best, no matter how hard the task or how much you would rather be doing something else, will always be more important than getting an extra three hours of sleep. Getting taxes done on time means less hassle later, even if it takes a few hours out of our busy days. Advanced courses teach the necessity of a work ethic that will stay with students for the rest of their lives.

Advanced, Honors, A.P., whatever name your school gives them, courses have a definite affect on how students who are involved lives and their perspective on the world. They learn time management by having to plan out their time and virtually their whole day to make sure everything is accounted for. They learn to make decisions out of necessity, not just out of want, driven by the fact that sometimes passing a test is more important than hanging out with friends for a whole day. They learn to balance their lives. They learn that an incredible work ethic is necessary to succeed everywhere they go and for success in life.