The grade you receive may be as good or better than one you would have earned in an honors course, because the weight given to grades in AP courses compensates for the increased difficulty. Secondly, colleges know that all courses are not equal. Their evaluation of student grades focuses as much on the quality of the courses as the grades received. Finally, an AP course gives you an opportunity to learn a subject in great depth and helps you develop skills that will be critically important to successful study in college.