I have mixed feelings here. AP courses now dominate kids lives. Add in all of the other resume building--and they don't have time for church or even just being a kid without becoming completely exhausted.
AP is not for everyone. In fact, I would argue that college itself is not for everyone. A college diploma is in fact "overvalued" in many cases. But the upper middle class is now obsessed with credentials.
That sums up the situation I have observed with princess riverdawg and many of her friends. There is an “arms race” among the college-bound kids to accumulate the most resume-building “weapons,” including taking the largest possible number of AP courses, being deeply involved in extracurricular activities (but not in an unfocused way), and building a personal “narrative” or “story” for your college application that will attract the attention of some admissions officer. It's really out of control ...
There is an obsession, but it partly stems from the fact it’s much harder to make a living without a college degree. Now, it’s hard to make a living WITH one, due to oversaturation and a reduction in the overall value of a degree since kids who shouldn’t have one are able to get one.