Advanced Placement Courses

* Re “Class Disparity: Uneven Distribution of Advanced Placement Courses Hinders Hundreds of Students,” Oct. 31.

As a 1999 graduate of Hueneme High School, I attended every one of Hueneme’s six advanced placement courses. Unfortunately, I feel that I was robbed of my potential to excel due to the limited AP courses offered. What really upset me most was the lack of teacher encouragement for their students to take AP tests that could aid in their college future.

In contrast to the current honors course system, AP classes offer that little added “college experience” (which has been drained from the languid college-prep courses).

I would recommend that all high school juniors and seniors take as many AP courses as they can handle. Universities and colleges nationwide are becoming more competitive, and the reality is that they expect more than the average student thinks. Before attending Ventura College I was regularly harassed by mail-in offers from the University of Chicago, all the UCs and Stanford University. Sadly enough, I deeply regret not taking all the AP tests that I was offered but I did not see any point in it. If my teachers were not motivated and supportive enough, should I be?

ARMANDO R. HERNANDEZ

Oxnard