AP US History

[SanePsychotic]

I'm a junior in high school and I'm taking APUSH. My teacher keeps going on and on about how difficult it is and all that crap, so now I'm kind of nervous about it. And it's only my 2nd day.

So help me out here. If anyone has taken APUSH give me some direction as to what I should and shouldn't focus on. How much effort did you put into it and to what result? To those who are taking it now - let's be friends and talk a bit.

Before anyone says, "there's already a thread about this" or "search function" keep in mind that the one fully APUSH topic I found dates back to 2005. I figured that a new one wouldn't hurt.

[Smash Adams]

I'm a history major and focusing more on US so I can help you, I found it fairly easy even though my teacher was like a month behind where we should be

[MattRM]

I took APUSH last year in my high school. It was the first time the class was taught in my school, so the teacher sort of changed his mind a lot about how the class would run, trying to figure out what worked and what didn't work. We had the American Pageant textbook and we were supposed to read a certain number of pages like every night, he had it all planned out on a calendar that we all got a copy of. I didn't read it, practically at all. Sometimes if I was super nervous about a test the next day, I'd read the chapter the night before the test. But we also had these reading guides, a paper with summaries of the major points of each chapter. It was in paragraph form, and there were tons of blanks that you'd have to skim through the book to fill in, and it had some questions you had to write out answers to as well. My friends and I pretty much split up all the work and copied what we didn't have during lunch before the class. I got B's both semesters. Took the AP test, got a 2. Which, if you're not sure, is bad - the scale is 1-5, and you need a 3 to have any chance of getting college credit.

So basically, it wasn't really that bad. The tests and quizzes were awful since I didn't actually read the book and had a hard time staying awake in class, but we had a bunch of other mindless grades to balance the tests and quizzes out (like cutting out newspaper articles and explaining how they relate to US history).

If you can read the textbook though, I would recommend it. I was taking some other difficult classes that I considered more important than APUSH, so studying and reading the textbook weren't really high priorities. Not to mention, you'll probably bomb the AP test like I did if you don't read.

[SanePsychotic]

I'm a history major and focusing more on US so I can help you, I found it fairly easy even though my teacher was like a month behind where we should be

Great. I take it that it was easy for you because you're really interested in history, but what did you do that I could do to make it easier for me? I like history (not enough for major in it, but enough) and find the class interesting, it's just more of the intimidation factor for me.

[Smash Adams]

Great. I take it that it was easy for you because you're really interested in history, but what did you do that I could do to make it easier for me? I like history (not enough for major in it, but enough) and find the class interesting, it's just more of the intimidation factor for me.

I would get a review book of some sort, they're all pretty much the same but when you're taking the test you can just read a paragraph on the one section you don't get plus there are practice tests
I don't have any less obvious ideas for now sorry

[JimmyIymmiJ]

I'm a junior in high school and I'm taking APUSH. My teacher keeps going on and on about how difficult it is and all that crap, so now I'm kind of nervous about it. And it's only my 2nd day.

So help me out here. If anyone has taken APUSH give me some direction as to what I should and shouldn't focus on. How much effort did you put into it and to what result? To those who are taking it now - let's be friends and talk a bit.

Before anyone says, "there's already a thread about this" or "search function" keep in mind that the one fully APUSH topic I found dates back to 2005. I figured that a new one wouldn't hurt.

Not to say that the class won't be difficult, but a lot of times teachers say stuff like that at the beginning to weed out the students who might not be dedicated or really be up for the task. Putting things in perspective, I am a teacher so I'm telling you this from experience.

[Ailite]

I took APUSH my sophomore year, last year. It was hard but I love history and as long as put some solid effort into it you should be fine. I got an 89 for the year...but a 2 on the exam. Bummer.

[SanePsychotic]

I would get a review book of some sort, they're all pretty much the same but when you're taking the test you can just read a paragraph on the one section you don't get plus there are practice tests
I don't have any less obvious ideas for now sorry

Yes, we got a review book along with our regular text book, so I will definatly be using that. I've flipped through the practice tests for a few moments and they seem like they will help me out a bit. Thanks for your help and if you have anything else to add please do.

Not to say that the class won't be difficult, but a lot of times teachers say stuff like that at the beginning to weed out the students who might not be dedicated or really be up for the task. Putting things in perspective, I am a teacher so I'm telling you this from experience.

That's what I'm hoping. I feel like I'm psyching myself out a bit here, but I just want to make sure that I can get at least a B- (88%) in the class and possibly a 3 or more on the test. So that's why I'm trying to figure out how to go about the class.

Also, how much did you guys read a night? I assume that you would read every night so that you wouldn't fall behind, but how much time did you really put into reading and doing other classwork?

[SanePsychotic]

I took APUSH my sophomore year, last year. It was hard but I love history and as long as put some solid effort into it you should be fine. I got an 89 for the year...but a 2 on the exam. Bummer.

That's what I'm aiming for. I'd love to get a 3, but if I got a 2 I wouldn't feel bad at all about it. But of course that's just what I would want in the very least. I'm really aiming for higher, but I'm trying to be realistic here.

[Ailite]

That's what I'm aiming for. I'd love to get a 3, but if I got a 2 I wouldn't feel bad at all about it. But of course that's just what I would want in the very least. I'm really aiming for higher, but I'm trying to be realistic here.
I didn't do half the work a lot of other people did. I love history and know a lot of it, so most of it came pretty easy. As long as you show a good deal of effort and at least try to enjoy what you're learning you'll be fine. I actually enjoyed the course a lot, I learned tons of cool and very interesting stuff.

[SanePsychotic]

I didn't do half the work a lot of other people did. I love history and know a lot of it, so most of it came pretty easy. As long as you show a good deal of effort and at least try to enjoy what you're learning you'll be fine.

Ah, I see. Thanks.

[Ailite]

Ah, I see. Thanks.
Good luck on it

[smorez]

i'm taking apush this year as well
pretty sure i have a good teacher though

last year for world history we had packets and like mattrm, we had to read a certain numbers of pages in the text book every night. i barely did the work but got a low b in the class and a 4 on the exam. hope to put more effort this year in apush though.

i'd suggest buying the princeton review or barron's ap exam book early on so you can get a lot of studying in before the exam. that should definitely help.

[m_rue]

I took it last year. It wasn't so much difficult as time consuming. I guess the best advice I can give is read the book and pay attention in class, and you should do fine. In my class we read a chapter every other night on average, which was a bitch.

[a7xrockerangel]

I took it my junior year of high school. Out of the 6 AP classes i took during my junior and senior year, it was the only one i passed ( i made a 4). I wouldn't say that the class was extremlely difficult, it just seemed as if the content we covered and the work load we had was kinda difficult. My class always complained about it (enough so that the next year only 6 people took the class lol). My teacher seemed to push us a bit, and several people including me at the time didn't like it. But in hindsight it was a good thing because her pushing helped me to really learn the material and pass the exam. the best advice i can give you is to not be so intimidated about the class. Take very well notes and start reviewing over all of them before the exam. Also don't be too worried about the essay portion of the exam. It is pretty easy, especially compared to an english essay. I wouldn't say that it is really important to read the textbook all the time, there were times that i didn't do the assigned reading and i was fine. It basically serves mainly to get you familiar with what is gonna be talked about in class. That's really all that i can think of to say right now except that if you want we can chat sometime and i can go over some of the things that were on the exam when i took it and things that were and weren't covered then and some things that helped me to learn stuff when i took the class. I hope my insight helps you some.

[Klandestine]

My history teacher pushed me to take it this year; also the first time in my school :]

Wish me luck!

[PlacesToGo]

It's easy but extremely time consuming. If you get lazy you'll do bad, but if you just keep up with the work its a breeze

[SanePsychotic]

Thanks everyone for your input. It's giving me a bit more confidence.

[&IllBeTheReason]

That was my favorite class in the whole of high school. What book are you using?

[nashiscash1324]

I'm a junior in high school and I'm taking APUSH. My teacher keeps going on and on about how difficult it is and all that crap, so now I'm kind of nervous about it. And it's only my 2nd day.

So help me out here. If anyone has taken APUSH give me some direction as to what I should and shouldn't focus on. How much effort did you put into it and to what result? To those who are taking it now - let's be friends and talk a bit.

Before anyone says, "there's already a thread about this" or "search function" keep in mind that the one fully APUSH topic I found dates back to 2005. I figured that a new one wouldn't hurt.

don't worry it's not that hard. if you're still worried just make it a priority when doing a homework and you'll do fine.

[suchacreep]

I took AP US History when I was a junior and I also volunteered to help out at an AP US class last semester at a local high school. It's difficult because there is so much covered in the exam, so it's hard in the sense that you have to be committed to the class if you are actually serious about passing the exam. Your teacher will probably give you a lot of reading and assignments because you have 8 months to cover a shitload of material, and lots of specific battles, dates, events, and people. Colonial times to present is fair game, but there are typically very few questions after the Vietnam War (when I took it anyway). You also have an essay and DBQ portion that can make students really apprehensive if they aren't the strongest writers. I could give you pointers but the exam isn't until the second week of may so it probably wouldn't help you now! Honestly, I only got a 3 when I took the exam, but the class ended up being SOOOOOOO worth it. Even if you don't pass the exam, you learn so much. I ended up taking 1865 to Present in college as an elective, and I never studied for a single exam or purchased any of the books and got the highest A in the class because I learned it all in the AP class and was actually trained to remember it. It was my favorite academic class in high school. Good luck!

[murphy77]

i took it last year and passed with a 3

also my favorite class i ever took

[AlternaPrincess]

It's easy but extremely time consuming. If you get lazy you'll do bad, but if you just keep up with the work its a breeze

^This. There are a lot of notes and essays, and you need to be able to write under a time limit, but I ended up getting a 5 on the exam and I didn't really feel like the class was that hard.

[weeberteeoatser]

The work itself wasn't that bad, but it was the time limits and amount of work in that time limit that got me.

[aloneatlastnj]

AP US HISTORY = a college level US history survey class. should be a breeze.

/history major

btw - i don't know why anyone would take this if you're not looking to go into history in college. if you're looking for AP credits - take a literature class or something.

PS: that american pageant book is TERRIBLE.

[*crying stars*]

I took it junior year, got a 4, read maybe half the time or even less. Go find online notes if you can absorb info quickly for the quizzes.
My teacher wasn't in class for the first three months (he was having adoption troubles in Mexico for his daughter), but he was hilarious and awesome, and I liked his lectures.

btw - i don't know why anyone would take this if you're not looking to go into history in college. if you're looking for AP credits - take a literature class or something.

PS: that american pageant book is TERRIBLE.

Because if it's like my school, you take AP or regular classes. Regular classes are not the option; they go slowwwwwwwwwwwwww.

And AP Lit is one of the hardest tests, so that credit thing is a moot point. Take Environment Science if you want credit.

But yes, the American Pageant book is full of fail.
It jumps around and tries to be witty; terrible.

[Roboman]

AP US HISTORY = a college level US history survey class. should be a breeze.

/history major

btw - i don't know why anyone would take this if you're not looking to go into history in college. if you're looking for AP credits - take a literature class or something.

PS: that american pageant book is TERRIBLE.

This doesn't make any sense...AP credits are not just a number, they count for specific classes (which I'm sure you know). Getting AP credit for AP Lit will not get you out of taking a history class in college. I took APUSH because well, I was on the advanced/gifted/whatever track at my school, but I'm sure glad I did as I got to exempt taking the equivalent in college, giving me more time for other electives or just having less hours to take. I'm also quite glad I got AP credit for Calc BC, European History, and Language (of course my school doesn't take Statistics scores...then again, I don't need to take that after changing majors).

Anyway, I too would suggest getting one of those review books, and just trying in the class. I would say my teacher was pretty good, like we did practice tests in groups and stuff...I ended up getting a 4, I believe.

[aloneatlastnj]

i've seen far too many times people taking AP US history classes just to bitch and moan about the work load and the amount of time and involvement a class such as APUSH requires - when most times the history 101 classes are easier and less time consuming than the high school classes.

if you're going to take the class - take it seriously. and know that you did this to yourself. lol

[asmolitor]

the "american pageant" book was terrible, i don't think i ever read it. i came into that class as a senior with a pretty ridiculous knowledge of american history - but the exam is fairly tough. all things considered, if you're a good writer, you'll get a 3+. the DBQ and essay are pretty much critical, as i remember the multiple choice being fairly easy. don't students get the essay topic the week before to plan out? i remember in 2005 it being about the civil rights movement or something. regardless, if you have 3 people/events to reference as arguments in the essay, you'd be fine.

AP US HISTORY = a college level US history survey class. should be a breeze.

/history major

btw - i don't know why anyone would take this if you're not looking to go into history in college. if you're looking for AP credits - take a literature class or something.

PS: that american pageant book is TERRIBLE.

AP lit was pretty easy for me. i think AP/college board allows students to write about "the great gatsby" every single year.

This doesn't make any sense...AP credits are not just a number, they count for specific classes (which I'm sure you know). Getting AP credit for AP Lit will not get you out of taking a history class in college. I took APUSH because well, I was on the advanced/gifted/whatever track at my school, but I'm sure glad I did as I got to exempt taking the equivalent in college, giving me more time for other electives or just having less hours to take. I'm also quite glad I got AP credit for Calc BC, European History, and Language (of course my school doesn't take Statistics scores...then again, I don't need to take that after changing majors).

Anyway, I too would suggest getting one of those review books, and just trying in the class. I would say my teacher was pretty good, like we did practice tests in groups and stuff...I ended up getting a 4, I believe.

sometimes they count for specific class exemptions, but if they don't - you get your score's worth of elective credits. i think at UW, my lit score (3) was good enough for a communications exemption, but my language wasn't (3). or maybe they both had to be 4's, i don't really remember. but with US history and statistics, both of those (3's, quite a trend) gave me 3 credits each and count towards any degree. all things considered, based on your school's requirements, take as many AP exams as you could feasibly b-s your way to a 3 or above. because $60-80 for 3 credits is a steal of a deal looking back on it. damn.

[x0sosahley]

I thought APUSH was simple, I took it in my junior year of high school.
As long as you keep up with the reading, it's a pretty standard class.

[Matthew]

I got a 5 on the AP Test. Pay attention in class and do between 50-75% of the reading and you'll be fine. The better writer you are the less you actually need to know what you're talking about.

The key to the essay parts of the test is being able to take a large number of historical incidents and piece together a story about which general trends they demonstrate, sequences of cause and effect... big picture kind of stuff. Don't worry if you're not super sharp with dates and names, it's not the most crucial thing.

[incredulous]

I got a 5 on the AP test and expected to get a 3, if that tells you anything. The thing about APUSH is that there's a lot of material. My advice would be not to sweat the small stuff (they never ask you specific questions about battles, for examples, and you don't need to know exact dates), and don't fall behind with the reading. You need to have a solid understanding of the main concepts. The multiple choice is pretty easy if you have a generalized understanding, but you need specific examples to answer the DBQ. So you can't BS your way through the whole test. You don't know what the topics are ahead of time--you basically have 15 minutes to read the prompts and plan your essays, I think.

Also, get one of the practice book. It really doesn't matter which.

[stayillogical]

I had a B in the class and got a 3 on the exam. I preferred AP Euro, more interesting. I suggest just paying attention in class and doing your reading. As long as you have a general idea of things for the exam and you're a good writer, you can pull off at the very least a 3. I know I BSed an entire essay and bits of my DBQ.

[SanePsychotic]

On the first test I managed to get an 89%, which isn't too bad. I'm anticipating a worse grade on the one I took on Friday, which I didn't study for as much. Oh well, it's just one test.

[hooray!]

every APUSH (and AP) class is different. My AP US teacher was one of the longest teaching teachers at our school and we honestly did nothing all day. he would lecture about US history stuff but none of it was actually useful. All I did was read the text book, take the tests, take the ap test and that was it. in all honesty, i had a difficult time on the weekly tests because I was basically teaching myself. I got a 3 on the test overall and I felt prepared for it. Honestly, a teacher can make or break a class for you. Good luck.

[Bobby Tucker]

Seriously, just make sure you can write an essay like no one's business. If you're worried about dates and people and what not, just make a bullet list for each era (i.e. colonial, early national, antebellum, etc.) of major events or people, the test itself doesn't really focus so much on specific facts as it does "change over time". If you can write an essay, and can identify changes in way of life, you'll have no problem. I was only a mediocre essay writer, and I pulled a 5, so...

[Yes. And?]

I took AP World History. Not the same thing, but oh well. There was a lot of book work, some lecture every day, and a test once in a while. If you want to do well, just do the homework. It's not hard, just time consuming. I never did the homework or which is why I bombed the actual class. I got a 4 on the exam, though.

So yeah, take notes, do the homework, study, and you should be fine.

[SanePsychotic]

every APUSH (and AP) class is different. My AP US teacher was one of the longest teaching teachers at our school and we honestly did nothing all day. he would lecture about US history stuff but none of it was actually useful. All I did was read the text book, take the tests, take the ap test and that was it. in all honesty, i had a difficult time on the weekly tests because I was basically teaching myself. I got a 3 on the test overall and I felt prepared for it. Honestly, a teacher can make or break a class for you. Good luck.

I know what you mean about having a teacher screw you over for a class. My teacher talks about her 14 cats most of the time instead of teaching, so I'm not really paying attention to her.

[fueledbyiz]

I'm a junior in high school and I'm taking APUSH. My teacher keeps going on and on about how difficult it is and all that crap, so now I'm kind of nervous about it. And it's only my 2nd day.

So help me out here. If anyone has taken APUSH give me some direction as to what I should and shouldn't focus on. How much effort did you put into it and to what result? To those who are taking it now - let's be friends and talk a bit.

Before anyone says, "there's already a thread about this" or "search function" keep in mind that the one fully APUSH topic I found dates back to 2005. I figured that a new one wouldn't hurt.

i'm taking it right now, as a sophomore in high school. actually, i only signed on AP.net today so i could look in the education section for somewhere to complain/rant about this class. what textbook are you using? i am currently putting off a massive outline that's due tomorrow =/... this class blows.

[hero_dujour]

I hated my AP class, I had a horrible teacher who was boring, hated teens, and let us do whatever we wanted every day. So I learned absolutely nothing and failed the AP exam. Hopefully you have a better teacher who will make the class interesting!

[SanePsychotic]

i'm taking it right now, as a sophomore in high school. actually, i only signed on AP.net today so i could look in the education section for somewhere to complain/rant about this class. what textbook are you using? i am currently putting off a massive outline that's due tomorrow =/... this class blows.

We're using The American Pageant: A History of the Republic, Thirteenth Edition. But then she makes us read handouts that say the exact same thing. So far it's actually a pretty easy class, it's just that the tests suck. But it's not too stressful or anything. Almost no homework for us besides reading...yet.

[fueledbyiz]

you're kidding! we're reading Give Me Liberty. it's around 30 chapters long with 30-50 pages each. we are given one week to outline each chapter and we'll have the entire book read/outlined/learned a couple weeks before the AP test in May. i'm already so stressed out of my mind; that's really been the only homework given out but we have a pretty big worksheet to do tonight, too.

[joshisexcellent]

i also took it junior year, it was incredibly easy as far as i'm concerned. i heard from some juniors i knew last year that it was tough as fuck that year though. i never read the book and pulled a 5, i think that might be because my teacher was the single most amazing one i've ever had though haha. multiple choice is always very easy, and you can probably bullshit the essays decently. min. effort = max reward for me in that class. also, if your textbook is the american nation by john a. garraty, just kill yourself now because it's a goddamned nightmare and a half. bar none the dryest text ever crafted by mankind.

[SanePsychotic]

you're kidding! we're reading Give Me Liberty. it's around 30 chapters long with 30-50 pages each. we are given one week to outline each chapter and we'll have the entire book read/outlined/learned a couple weeks before the AP test in May. i'm already so stressed out of my mind; that's really been the only homework given out but we have a pretty big worksheet to do tonight, too.

Our book is only around 1000. We have study guides and shit like that, but we're a month in and it's an easy class (for me anyway).

[SanePsychotic]

i also took it junior year, it was incredibly easy as far as i'm concerned. i heard from some juniors i knew last year that it was tough as fuck that year though. i never read the book and pulled a 5, i think that might be because my teacher was the single most amazing one i've ever had though haha. multiple choice is always very easy, and you can probably bullshit the essays decently. min. effort = max reward for me in that class. also, if your textbook is the american nation by john a. garraty, just kill yourself now because it's a goddamned nightmare and a half. bar none the dryest text ever crafted by mankind.

I envy people with good history teachers. I've never had a really good one.

[OnLettingGo]

i also took it junior year, it was incredibly easy as far as i'm concerned. i heard from some juniors i knew last year that it was tough as fuck that year though. i never read the book and pulled a 5, i think that might be because my teacher was the single most amazing one i've ever had though haha. multiple choice is always very easy, and you can probably bullshit the essays decently. min. effort = max reward for me in that class. also, if your textbook is the american nation by john a. garraty, just kill yourself now because it's a goddamned nightmare and a half. bar none the dryest text ever crafted by mankind.

our textbook was the american pageant. that book was ridiculous. it went into great detail describing the most mundane and irrelevant information. the writers also tried to be incredibly funny and witty and it just came out as awkward. when talking about the the boston tea party they described it as "a salty brew for the fishes."

[SanePsychotic]

our textbook was the american pageant. that book was ridiculous. it went into great detail describing the most mundane and irrelevant information. the writers also tried to be incredibly funny and witty and it just came out as awkward. when talking about the the boston tea party they described it as "a salty brew for the fishes."

:-d Nice.

I hate it when textbooks try to be funny; it's distracting.

[laxcrs]

That was my favorite class in the whole of high school. What book are you using?

miami represent

[&IllBeTheReason]

miami represent
Lol, I actually live a little more towards broward now.

[laxcrs]

Lol, I actually live a little more towards broward now.

haha im from philly but just down here for school

[&IllBeTheReason]

haha im from philly but just down here for school
Woah, kinda drastic, no?

[laxcrs]

Woah, kinda drastic, no?

haha nah not really, im studying marine science and biology so it was either miami or tampa since i didnt want to go all the way to california

[&IllBeTheReason]

haha nah not really, im studying marine science and biology so it was either miami or tampa since i didnt want to go all the way to california
Well, I hope you like it! Aren't you daunted by the crazy amount of hispanics? lol

[laxcrs]

Well, I hope you like it! Aren't you daunted by the crazy amount of hispanics? lol

haha i love it, im a junior so im used to it by now and its not that bad i took three years of spanish in high school and another three years here

[GRIFFARD]

I'm in this and so far it's pretty simple. Like everyone else said, just read and pay attention *shrug*

[&IllBeTheReason]

haha i love it, im a junior so im used to it by now and its not that bad i took three years of spanish in high school and another three years here
That's awesome. I know we can be a bit daunting, lol.

[laxcrs]

That's awesome. I know we can be a bit daunting, lol.

un poco

[&IllBeTheReason]

un poco
hahaa :]

[laxcrs]

hahaa :]

you going to the dashboard show?

[&IllBeTheReason]

you going to the dashboard show?
Haven't heard much about it. Who are they playing with?

[laxcrs]

Haven't heard much about it. Who are they playing with?

panic, plain white t's and the cab. so basically its a 12 year old girl show but me and my roomate decided to get tickets haha. and the cabs a guilty pleasure and my roomate never saw dashboard live so hopefully itll be good

[&IllBeTheReason]

panic, plain white t's and the cab. so basically its a 12 year old girl show but me and my roomate decided to get tickets haha. and the cabs a guilty pleasure and my roomate never saw dashboard live so hopefully itll be good
I've seen dashboard a few times so I'd probably go for the Cab. I'm not sure, my schedule is next month.

[Ben09]

AP US is easy. Read the book and memorize...that's it. You'll get a 5 if you do.

When it comes to essays, just remember what your teacher said and use their arguement.

[SanePsychotic]

I thinkhave around a C or something in this class right now. I'd have a B if my stupid teacher didn't take a grade on a studyguide. I let some people check their answers with mine but she was like "OMG YOU'RE CHEATING! ZERO FOR ALL OF YOU!". So now I actually have to study to get it up to a B range. So sad.

[Nerdy91]

I took APUSH my sophomore year, last year. It was hard but I love history and as long as put some solid effort into it you should be fine. I got an 89 for the year...but a 2 on the exam. Bummer.
same freaking thing happended to me i got a 90 in the class (barely) and a two on the exam that really sucked!!!