TOW #29 Letter to a New APELC Student

Dear New APELC student,

Hi there, I’m Jacob Kang. Nice to meet you. I’ll keep things simple, you just made your junior year really hard by taking this class. But you’re one of the special kids out there that is taking APELC, so good for you. Not many people can do this. There is a long and exhausting journey ahead of you, but at the end of the journey you will become a new person.

So I’ll be honest. As I’m writing this to you, I’m looking at a B in the course. Yeah I know, it sucks. But it really doesn’t. The grade really becomes just a letter at a certain point, and to make things better, your weighted GPA actually goes up by getting a B in an AP course rather than getting an A in an honors course. So APELC is worth it.

APELC won’t just make you a better writer, it makes you a better person, a more aware person. You will begin to see the world differently, no joke. You will be able to dissect everything and anything humans create: writings, advertisements, artworks. That is the whole point of this course, to make you a better citizen who is aware of his surroundings and the society that he lives in. There undoubtedly is a lot of writing in the course, but APELC offers so much more.

When I said that there is a lot of writing in this course, I’m not kidding you. The APELC exam itself makes you write three long essays. Your hands will cramp up at some point in the year. I guarantee it. But boy, will you be able to write. SATs will seem like child’s play.

Now when things get rough, and they are bound to, make sure to consult Mr. Yost and Mrs. Pronko. Those two are your greatest resources. They are always willing to help and guide you. That was the mistake I made early in the year. I never really had conferences about my writing with Mr. Yost and Mrs. Pronko, and my essays weren’t improving. The moment I got off of my lazy butt and talked to them, I noticed a definite change. Don’t be scared of them.

You poor thing. I hope you do well in this class. It will be hard. It will be tough. But it change your perspective on so many things. You will be a new person and a new writer. You will learn so many great ideas. And remember, after the AP test, you are free. Enjoy.

-Jacob Kang