Hello! This year I am going to be a junior in class of 2018. As of right now my schedule looks like
1st: APUSH
2nd: Psych 2 (2nd semester will be psych 1)
3rd: Algebra 2
4th: Econ Honors (2nd semester will be AP Microeconomics)
5th: Chamber orchestra
6th: Physics Honors
7th: AP Language and Composition
Sophomore year I took AP World and had an amazing, but a very difficult teacher. His pass rate is above average and somewhere around 75% of his students pass the exam. I got a 3 on the exam.
Recently, I decided that I don’t feel the need to go straight to a 4-year university after graduation and would rather just go to CC for 2 years and then transfer to somewhere like University of Florida or Florida State. I’m not much of a history lover but I did enjoy AP World sometimes because it was so diverse and thought the cultures were interesting. I did struggle in the class though because his tests were hard and two days long (First day was 70 multiple choice and the second day would be either compare and contrast or continuities and changes). Tons of students would get scores around the 50s and 60s.
I’m not sure if I want to do APUSH anymore because I feel like US history can be a bit boring and redundant compared to last years world class. Considering my other two AP classes, what do you guys think about me taking APUSH? Is it really necessary if I’m not striving for a 4 year uni anymore? If I drop APUSH, I would probably do Pre-AP US History (with a bunch of sophomores). Thanks!!
*ALSO, the previous APUSH teacher quit teaching the class this year because of the redesigned course and it will be the new teacher’s first year teaching apush (he does have some experience teaching AP Government though)
It’s not necessary, but I would recommend APUSH based on my own experience with the class. I found it incredibly interesting, and not too difficult, and I got a 5 on the exam.
Hey! In my school, APUSH was taught with AP English Lang and both are pretty heavy classes. APUSH, however, is definitely a class to take. I learned so much and ended up getting a 5 on the exam!
But it is all up to you and how your school works. If the teacher seems new and not qualified enough, then maybe taking AP Government with him/her would be better. Also because you’re not going for a 4 year uni, it doesn’t actually matter anyway if you take APUSH or not! Your schedule seems pretty rigorous already too! Good luck!
I had a different experience from everyone else who commented, but that may just be my teacher…? My World teacher made the material so interesting, and even she made her class extremely tough, I found myself fascinated - like you - by the cultures we studied and the comparisons that one could draw. However, my US teacher basically taught out of the textbook/to the curriculum and didn’t necessarily make the material interesting to me. To me, US history is just not as enthralling as World - I don’t want to say that the US isn’t diverse, but there is definitely a change from the generalities of APWH to the specifics in APUSH. I got a 5 on both exams, and APUSH is definitely an easier class - testwise - than APWH.
Keep in mind that it is a bit more dependent on dates and is a lot more specific than World since you’re primarily focusing on one civilization.
I would take it. I took it last year and got a 5 on the exam. However, on apworld I got a 4. Also, I feel like the class made me understand our country better and become a more well informed member of society
I’d say if you think you might enjoy it/benefit from it, go for it. I had a weird experience with my class, although I wouldn’t really say it was a negative one. I really enjoy learning about certain aspects of history, but I’m not much of a dates-and-times person, which is a large part of APUSH. Even so, I passed the exam without really ever studying, and I got a good grade in the class. Every teacher is different, so the activities, assignments, projects, and time periods you focus most on will vary for everyone, but overall it’s probably worth the time. Worst case, even if the teacher ends up being a dud, you’ll still have a textbook that’s chock full of information.