Difference in class difficulty?

I just have a question regarding the level of class difficulty at west point compared to the difficulty of the AP classes many of us have taken in high school. Is west point just ridiculously more difficult? I know that I've really only had a problem with one AP class in high school- Calculus.

Joiner_Bama said:

I just have a question regarding the level of class difficulty at west point compared to the difficulty of the AP classes many of us have taken in high school. Is west point just ridiculously more difficult? I know that I've really only had a problem with one AP class in high school- Calculus.

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I haven't attended West Point so I cannot answer directly. Many moons have passed since my college days, but it was my experience that any college course was more difficult than the equivalent high school AP course. You're still being spoon fed in high school even in AP (although less so than non-AP). In college you're on your own. I'm sure the same is true at WP and perhaps more so.

USMA classes are taught using the Thayer method. I suggest you do a little research as to what that means and then you'll have your answer. My DS, Class of 2015, is doing very well, others not so much.

We have relatives named Joiner in Mobile; wonder if we're related?
Part of what makes WP so difficult, compared to a civilian college, is the number of credit hours. How many of your friends are taking 19-21 hours? Most don't. Additionally, as a plebe, you have mandatory plebe duties. You also have mandatory sports time. If you are a corps squad athlete, you might be traveling to compete. You are far busier than a traditional college. Your time is not your own. Sometimes you have a free weekend and you can catch up a little, but often even those are scheduled. Oh, and yes, the classes are very rigorous. You either learn time management, or you do very poorly at WP. This isn't to scare you. My son, for example, only took 2 AP classes in HS (the rest were honors or gifted level). He's doing fine; has a good rank and hasn't struggled in any class. He was not a super studier in HS..he had maybe a 3.6ish gpa. If you have a work ethic, you can do just fine.