Senior Elizabeth Parsons is an active member within clubs and activities at CHS; she also excels in all of her Advanced Placement (AP) courses. Along with her clubs and activity involvement, she is also an active member of the swim team, as well as the Falcon girls tennis team.

Parsons, who will graduate in June at the top of her class, plans to attend the University of Virginia next fall. 

Q: What were the hardest classes you took throughout your time in high school?

A:  “The hardest classes that I took throughout high school were AP Seminar and AP Research.”

Q: How did you deal with stress when taking these classes?

A: “Talking with my classmates definitely helped my stress in these classes. It’s comforting to know other people are experiencing the same stress or struggle, which creates a sense of unity in the class.”

Q: What study tips do you have? 

A: “AP Capstone is interesting in the fact that there are very few “tests.” Instead, grades are earned through performance tasks. This makes it vital to stay on top of deadlines. Working a little bit each day on a paper or presentation makes it much less overwhelming.”

Q: Do you think taking these classes helped with getting accepted into certain colleges? 

A: “Yes! I cannot recommend AP Seminar and AP Research enough! The higher-level thinking and research skills learned through the AP Capstone program are very desirable when it comes to college applications.” 

Q: What organization tips do you have?

A: “In terms of organization, I recommend keeping a daily planner. Being able to visualize upcoming due dates is so helpful! I also recommend maintaining some form of color=coding system to keep track of different classes.”

Q: How did you manage your time with homework and other activities?

A: “I learned time-management at a young age as a year-round swimmer. I often had a very limited amount of time to get homework done, so being able to maximize this time was important. I think minimizing distractions and forcing yourself to finish all of your work before you do more enjoyable activities is key!”

 Q: What advice would you give to someone who is planning on taking these classes?

 A: “I would tell them to enter AP Seminar and AP Research with an open mind. Taking these classes will really widen your perspective on the world and will force you to collaborate with other students.”