When exploring classes to take, you will likely come across AP Classes or advanced placement classes. These classes are college-level courses that you can take in high school for college credit. While each test is different for every subject, most tests consist of multiple choice, free-response, short-answer, and essay questions. Tests are typically taken during May, and scores are released in July. AP tests are graded on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the best. If you receive a score of 4 or 5, you can gain college credit.

One AP class that is easy and manageable is AP Human Geography. I took this class as a freshman (usually it is a freshman class) and thoroughly enjoyed it. I found that the content was straightforward and easy to understand; more significantly, it was interesting as well. In AP HUG, I learned about how humans are arranged and the ways in which they interact with others and the environment. At first, this class was challenging to me; however, later in the year, it became one of my easier classes. For me, the hardest part of AP HUG was the multiple-choice questions (compared to AP World they’re easy), and the note-taking which was long and extensive. However, if you diligently study and work hard in this class, you’ll fly through the exam. The multiple-choice questions can be tricky at first because many of them are stimuli and based on models. I believe I received a score of 72% on the first test from the MC’s. One tip that helped was doing test corrections and reviewing the things I got wrong. Although I did horribly on my first couple of tests, I did well on the exam–so don’t worry if you get a bad grade on tests. To conclude, this AP class is great preparation for future classes and an easy way to get college credit.

Helpful Sources

• Mr. Sinn on Youtube
• Crash Course Book on AP HUG
• Princeton AP HUG book

The second AP class that I would recommend taking is AP World. Unlike AP HUG, World focuses on all of the major global events from 1200 AD to the present day. In comparison HUG hones in on the 21st century. Since AP World teaches students about most historical events, it makes the course difficult because there is much to remember. Additionally, the exam is made up of multiple choice questions, short answer questions, free response questions, long essay questions, and a document-based question (essay); this makes the extremely exam lengthy. Because the exam is long, it is difficult to remember all of the content. Another difficulty is that the multiple choice questions are challenging and have trickly answer choices. While you will face these hardships on the AP route, it will strengthen your test-taking skills + knowledge. You should take this class if you enjoy history and practicing writing skills.

Helpful Sources

• Hiemler’s History on Youtube
• Crash Course Book on AP World