One by one, the dreaded AP tests have been taken by the cohort of students that exemplify the standard of excellence at LHS. Unfortunately for them, the worst is yet to come.

For those who have not enrolled in an AP class, we who have offer this warning: The test is only the beginning of an AP student’s nightmares. The weeks following can decimate a student’s patience, may shift their mood frequently and may cause their epiphanies to become more extreme. This is the stage known as the Aftermath. Upon utilizing the search bar, I found that CollegeBoard offers some unnecessary advice on how to deal with the effects.

“Did you mean: Grow a pair,” said CollegeBoard. “Displaying results for: AP World History isn’t even the hardest one, you sophomore.”

It’s as if the website can pierce into my inner thoughts.

Like deer in headlights, the dead-end of a year spent in grueling study, pouring over information and DBQs, sideswipes them. With the final word of their second test essay, an eternal question comes over them: What happens after? (The AP test, that is.)

It is painful, really. Many have been known to go emo while others begin adhering to philosophies, even theologies, they had never considered previously. Still others have gone rouge, threatening to leave the #APLife altogether.

One should not fret, for we will come back for more; we always do. AP students simply experience a wide range of emotions and freedom with the addition of another study hall, essentially, in their schedule. They are novice to these feelings.

Acting as a makeshift fairy godfather, I am preparing to bring my limited understanding of human empathy—as I have yet to take AP Psychology—to the table for my friends as we brace for our inevitable Aftermath phase. We all must do our best to provide support to these troubled souls in a globalizing world that expects so much of students (Doc 3).

Support me; I may be suffering early onset Aftermath seeing as my mind has already gone to the hinterlands and my test is later this week.

Disclaimer: The author may contain bias as he is a 21st century student who wrote this in a satirical, hyperbolized manner for his peers. CollegeBoard did not say what the author remarks the website did.