Ever since I was a freshman I knew I wanted to take AP Psychology as a senior. Now that I’m taking it, I can say confidently that I made the right decision. In fact, I believe every high school student should have the opportunity to learn about psychology, whether it be through an AP, IB, regular, or online class, or through self-study.     

Why?

In the daily grind of high school classes, many of us have long ago lost the true joy of learning. Our education often feels like a series of hoops we have to jump through in order to successfully secure our distant and nebulous futures. We “learn” and we forget because the information we receive isn’t meaningful to us. And that isn’t our fault. In the meantime, we are young adults, trying to make sense of ourselves and our place in the world. We long to understand why we and our peers think, feel, and act the way that we do.

Psychology answers these questions, and that’s why it’s so fascinating and powerful.

Psychology is the rare area of knowledge which you easily connect, again and again, to yourself and your life. You witness this immediately after entering the psychology classroom at EGRHS, where the “Psych Moments” bulletin board contains countless examples of students linking one (or several) of their experiences to a psychology term or concept.

Knowing yourself is the first step to taking control of your life and becoming the person you were meant to be. In psychology, studying how your own memory works can help you become a more effective test-taker. Studying the critical role of sleeping can help you take better care of yourself. Studying the biological and psychological effects of drugs can help you understand their risk and make wiser decisions. Studying your tendency to experience source amnesia can help prevent the creation and dissemination of gossip. Studying your susceptibility to classical conditioning can help you conquer your fears. Studying the power and versatility of your own brain can help you adopt a growth rather than a fixed mindset. And the list goes on.

So, if you get the chance, study psychology in high school. I promise you won’t regret it.