Inspired by a College culture of greater learning, students Bill Li, Aaron Kwak, Jack Hastie, and Ryan Gu have all gained the highest grade in Advanced Placement (AP) exams to help open the gates to study at leading universities in the United States and United Kingdom.

Overseen by the US College Board, AP courses offer high-level classes that challenge secondary school students to excel in a range of subjects while enhancing their premier university admission chances.

A significant group of senior Christ’s College students has tackled the AP exams, adding to already packed workloads in order to expand their international study options. They have impressed in a range of subjects, with many others gaining higher-level marks.

Both Bill and Aaron, who is also College’s Deputy Head Prefect, have been acknowledged for their outstanding achievements, being named AP Scholars with Distinction.

For Bill, gaining a ‘5’ in seven AP subjects – Biology, Calculus AB, Government and Politics, Environmental Science, Macroeconomics, Psychology, and Statistics – has made the Year 12 student “more confident, disciplined in my approach to study, and better prepared”.

Tackling seven subjects in one year on top of all his NCEA work and co-curricular activities has been “doable but required a great deal of discipline” in time management.

“The AP content is sometimes quite advanced, but the most difficult thing is to balance studying for the exams with school work and other commitments, and because my AP coursework has been self-directed, I think it has made me more disciplined with my time,” he says. “It has also been a great opportunity to explore what I am interested in as most of my AP subjects are outside my school focus.”

Aaron has achieved a ‘5’ in five subjects – Calculus BC, Chemistry, Comparative Government and Politics, English Literature, and Environmental Science.

He hopes that the achievements “raise my profile and capture my academic qualification for study in the United States”.

“AP offers a broader curriculum than NCEA and a range of more sustainable subjects,” Aaron explains.

“While NCEA is more modular and split, the entire content can be found in one AP paper. AP also showcases your range of academic ability. While the amount of required AP learning seems a bit daunting to start, it becomes much easier with consistent effort.”

Aaron, who hopes to attend an Ivy League university to study international law, adds that the AP programme “has helped to develop a stronger work ethic, and has built up my resilience”.

He has also enjoyed being able to follow his “passions and interests in choosing his AP topics” over the past two years.

Head of Condell’s House Jack Hastie believes that his AP results “will strengthen my path to a top university in the US”.

Jack has scored a ‘5’ in two of the toughest AP subjects – Calculus BC and Physics Mechanics. All feed into his goal of studying engineering at the “best university where I have the best opportunity”.

He cites the Physics exam as the “most enjoyable but also the most challenging”, being equivalent to a first-year university course. It also complements his focus at College.

While he is “looking to the United States to study, particularly Ivy League colleges”, Jack is also keeping his options open for a UK university pathway.

“Your international university applications also focus on your co-curricular activities so I have appreciated my leadership roles at College, and the school focus on a well-rounded graduate, along with being able to undertake my Duke of Edinburgh Award journey.”

Meanwhile, Ryan Gu, a highly accomplished classical pianist, has achieved ‘5’

In Chemistry, Statistics, and Calculus BC to also earn an AP Scholar Award, boosting his hopes to study Mathematics in the UK.

"For me, it was really interesting learning different curricula through AP and comparing them with here,” Ryan says. “Through learning multiple curricula it has helped me to think about ideas in more creative ways and be able to approach problems in multiple ways. For me, the most important aspect was that this was self-directed, allowing me to learn things I enjoy at a leisurely pace during my free time. Overall, I have gained a broader knowledge in areas I am passionate about and it is, as always, great fun .”