I wasn't taking advanced courses because of the challenge or the merit that came with it. I took them because I loved learning. I always felt that regular classes at school didn't do a very satisfactory job of giving me a well-rounded experience. The advanced courses, however, did a very good job of encompassing all the concepts and ideas. My friends at the time weren't so light. They took these lessons way too seriously. Going so far as to stay after school, buy extra books and take practice tests just to guarantee their "A". I got A's and B's in the majority of these classes, and it wasn't because of extra help and lab work. This was because I had an honest interest in the subjects. Even until the last year of our friendship, when I “doubled” AP US History and AP European History. The teacher of these two courses was considered the most difficult teacher in our school. My friends criticized me, telling me that I had no chance of getting a 5 on the AP exams and that I simply wouldn't have time for the work. I ended up getting excellent grades in both courses, did exceptionally well on exams, and even became friends with the professor, who I now consider my greatest academic mentor. This is because I cared more about expanding my knowledge on the topics rather than doing calculations. I was also frequently criticized for being easy and gentle in my upbringing. It was always "Chris, you need to take things more seriously" or "Chris, your lack of motivation makes us uncomfortable." Although the reprimands I received were horribly irritating, they were much more bearable than the other factors that would lead to my tragedy..