how do I survive AP US History?

[Frantic Search]

A B in APUSH isn't that bad you know. Never took APSH, but I did take AP bio.

I recommend taking notes in class and focusing on big general topics in the subject that the teacher likes. Don't get too deep in the reading that you don't remember which section you're reading. Make sure you categorize the facts in your mind to belong to each category. Lastly, read the review questions at the back of the chapters, look over all the worksheets.

Also, don't take any other hard AP classes. It's not worth it, honestly.

[Yukii Luna]

The text book is your new date. emotion_dowant That's how my ap teacher put it. I took ap world and it was bloody murder. xD For some U.S. History is easier than World History. I had no life because of that class but History was never my strong point-unlike the sciences. Review review review! And good luck should you decide to go through taking it!

[mmaarriiaa]

The class is easy.. first semester I got a C and the second semester I got a B. Just do your homework & study. I would not recommend that class because I had to retake US History in College and that was definitely way easier than AP US History..

[Moogle Voodoo]

Improve your study habits

[minecraft snoopy]

kakteed

You want an honest answer?

Watch historical movies, especially when you start learning about the wars. Saving Private Ryan, Black Hawk Down, Schindler's List, The Piano Man, We Were Soliders, that one David Craig movie about Holocaust escapees in the Russian forest, even Inglourious Basterds.

Pay attention to those movies and then look up inaccuracies. I swear to god our APUSH movie club was the best thing I was ever a part of ever. Oh, and I got a 5 on the test.

i actually would advise against this. OP is taking US history. almost all of these movies are about WWII which (relatively) didn't have all that much to do with america. also, especiallly if OP is not used to taking notes (they said so in a prev post), it may be hard to keep straight the convincing made up movie stuff and the factual material. (also, inglorious basterds is pretty much 100% made up. good movie though)

my advice is to take good notes - write down important, relevant information (i.e. no need to copy down the lecture word for word). things that your instructor emphasizes, the core of the points they're explaining, and absolutely anything they write on the board. listen carefully and actively - make sure you are mentally present at least 80% of the time, the more the better. sometimes it helps if you create a shorthand for yourself and use abbreviations you'll understand. it may look a little messier, but you'll be able to put down thoughts and ideas faster.

the further you get into the class, the easier it will be to determine what points your instructor thinks are important, and you'll get a feel of what might be on the test. if you're lucky enough to get a study guide before a test, make sure to read it over/fill it out/make mnemonics etc. etc., whatever you do, do not ignore it!

most importantly, try not to stress. high school(?) history is not the end of the world. your best is the best you can do.

source: i'm a history major + history buff, and am pretty good at school!

[kakteed]

plant rabbit

kakteed

You want an honest answer?

Watch historical movies, especially when you start learning about the wars. Saving Private Ryan, Black Hawk Down, Schindler's List, The Piano Man, We Were Soliders, that one David Craig movie about Holocaust escapees in the Russian forest, even Inglourious Basterds.

Pay attention to those movies and then look up inaccuracies. I swear to god our APUSH movie club was the best thing I was ever a part of ever. Oh, and I got a 5 on the test.

i actually would advise against this. OP is taking US history. almost all of these movies are about WWII which (relatively) didn't have all that much to do with america. also, especiallly if OP is not used to taking notes (they said so in a prev post), it may be hard to keep straight the convincing made up movie stuff and the factual material. (also, inglorious basterds is pretty much 100% made up. good movie though)

my advice is to take good notes - write down important, relevant information (i.e. no need to copy down the lecture word for word). things that your instructor emphasizes, the core of the points they're explaining, and absolutely anything they write on the board. listen carefully and actively - make sure you are mentally present at least 80% of the time, the more the better. sometimes it helps if you create a shorthand for yourself and use abbreviations you'll understand. it may look a little messier, but you'll be able to put down thoughts and ideas faster.

the further you get into the class, the easier it will be to determine what points your instructor thinks are important, and you'll get a feel of what might be on the test. if you're lucky enough to get a study guide before a test, make sure to read it over/fill it out/make mnemonics etc. etc., whatever you do, do not ignore it!

most importantly, try not to stress. high school(?) history is not the end of the world. your best is the best you can do.

source: i'm a history major + history buff, and am pretty good at school!

The APUSH test is basically presidential terms, and war.

Lol, I tossed Inglourious Basterds in there for fun, but the movies really did help. My teacher was a history major who was getting her masters while she was teaching us and a hard grader for facts, and even she was okay with us constantly watching movies, as long as, of course, we took note of inaccuracies. I remember that it personally definitely helped me with names, dates, and places.

[i like monkey nuts]

My teacher never taught us anything, so I just brought the textbook home everyday and read the assigned chapter over and over again until I got it memorized. did this up until we finished the book (which was about a month before the exam). The weeks before the exam, the teacher passed out practice books for everyone. The practice books had practice exams similar to the real thing. i studied that and also skimmed the textbook a few times. I never practiced any DBQ's or FRQ's, but i still got a 4. You should still practice dbq's and frq's though.

[an absolute rose]

i like monkey nuts

My teacher never taught us anything, so I just brought the textbook home everyday and read the assigned chapter over and over again until I got it memorized. did this up until we finished the book (which was about a month before the exam). The weeks before the exam, the teacher passed out practice books for everyone. The practice books had practice exams similar to the real thing. i studied that and also skimmed the textbook a few times. I never practiced any DBQ's or FRQ's, but i still got a 4. You should still practice dbq's and frq's though.

this seems really plausible for me, thanks so much!

[i like monkey nuts]

Bratsche

i like monkey nuts

My teacher never taught us anything, so I just brought the textbook home everyday and read the assigned chapter over and over again until I got it memorized. did this up until we finished the book (which was about a month before the exam). The weeks before the exam, the teacher passed out practice books for everyone. The practice books had practice exams similar to the real thing. i studied that and also skimmed the textbook a few times. I never practiced any DBQ's or FRQ's, but i still got a 4. You should still practice dbq's and frq's though.

this seems really plausible for me, thanks so much!

you're welcome! but i only had one AP class. all of my other classes were regulars, so APUSH was the only class i had to study for.

[an absolute rose]

i like monkey nuts

it's okay; I'm about the same...I know everything in all of my classes except for APUSH so worries

[The Forbidden Soul]

Just gotta give yourself APUSH

Puns aside, my APUSH class wasnt hard. Just relax and take it all in.

[an absolute rose]

The Forbidden Soul

]

that pun
I'm going to cry
okay, thanks so much smile

[dissociate my days away]

dude
no one cares about high school after high school

[FancyFatCats]

It's supposed to be one of the, if not, THE hardest AP class to take. I am getting my scores July 5. Most people in my class likely failed because they did not read the book (including me, unfortunately). And you really need to develop good study habits. I recommend a study group once a week and keep EVERYTHING in a binder. Because honestly, the test is a beast.

[Curtis Freley]

How can you fall a history class?