high school

5 Things I’ve Learned In The First Week of the Remote School Year

Brooke2 Comments

Hello everyone!

I started my junior year of high school on August 19 and am sitting down to write this after the first (half) week of school. There’s already been quite a few ups and downs, and this is definitely going to be an interesting year for everyone. I’m going to share five things I’ve learned thus far, so keep on reading if you’re interested in hearing about my remote learning experience.

  1. Patience is key. I know this might seem obvious, but it’s SO necessary that I need to include it anyway. As you might have heard from teachers and other staff, it’s difficult on their end too. We all have to be understanding and adaptable, as that’s what this situation is all about. Expect bumps in the road and that you won’t always be prepared for everything coming our way, but be willing to work past it.
  2. The phone needs to be out of sight. This might not be as much of a self-discipline issue for everyone, but I’ve found that I’m way more focused if my phone is away from my desk. I’m not even tempted to look at it or noticing notifications pop up if I can’t see it on my surface at all. There’s already so many possible distractions on a computer/whatever device you’re distance learning on, so extra devices definitely need to be put away.
  3. Zoom can be awkward, but it gets better if you actually participate. I used to be terrified of Zooms and having to speak before I did my writing program over the summer that was run completely on Zoom. That’s helped me so much in this distance learning already–although it was a completely different experience, getting comfortable with Zoom and being able to interact with people I only knew through the screen has made me more confident to participate in my Zoom classes.
  4. You have to reach out if you want to actually interact with your friends. There’s not a virtual equivalent to lunchtime or just walking from class to class with all your friends. Make sure to check in on your friends and see how their virtual learning is going, and just interact as normally as you possibly can.
  5. This is a very independent journey. Try to make the best of it, as you would with anything else. This will impact everyone differently, and there may be different pros and cons of this experience for different people. It will definitely test us and make us stronger, so try to make the most of that. Challenge yourself, but also know when you need screen time breaks or when things are getting overwhelming. Use this time to figure out what works for you and how you can build your schedule a little differently.

I hope you guys enjoyed these few little tidbits of things I’ve learned so far! I will make sure to do an updated one sometime soon. Although I’m definitely still focused on coming up with new writing content, I think it’s important to include some education related stuff, as it is the beginning of the school year, and this will be a school year no one forgets. Please feel free to leave feedback in the comments. Stay safe and healthy out there.

Brooke

Check Out AP Study Resources

Brooke1 Comment

Welcome back everyone!

I recently made a website called AP Study Resources with links to videos, study guides, notes, and any other helpful resources I’ve come across that will help you excel in your APs next year! If you’re interested in learning more, keep on reading and check out the site here.

I had the idea to make the website because while searching for extra resources to study for my AP European History and AP Psychology tests this year, it was hard to find everything I needed in one spot. There’s so many amazing free resources on the Internet, but it can be difficult to find them and keep track of them. I decided to get started on making a hub for all of them, and that was that.

I currently only have dedicated pages to the APs I’ve taken (AP Human Geography, AP European History, and AP Psychology) but I have been digging for resources for other classes and more classes will definitely be added to the website soon; it’s in my best interest too, as I will be taking 5 APs next year! The website is currently a rough outline of what I want it to be, but I wanted to get the word out on this blog so you guys are aware of it for next school year and can bookmark it or scan it now.

If you’re interested and end up checking out the site, please let me know what you think and what additional classes you’d like me to add first! I’ll probably do the 5 that I’m taking, and any requested/most common ones next. I hope this can help out some of you guys next year and/or in years to come.

Make sure to check out the website here. I haven’t bought the domain or anything yet since it’s just a side project, but I might in the future if it ends up being helpful to a lot of people just so I can get the word out easier. Stay safe and healthy out there.

Brooke

School Is Taking Over My Mind

BrookeLeave a comment

Welcome back everyone!

Right now, my mind is consumed with everything school related. If you saw my last post about my study plans for AP tests, you’d already know how stressed I am about AP testing coming up. Beyond the couple weeks of studying still ahead of me, school is consuming a large portion of my thoughts in general. This might seem odd considering we’re all in quarantine, school is online, and it’s almost the end of the academic year, but those are precisely the reasons why my mind is scattered in a million places, most of them somewhat related to school.

Since the end of the school year is nearing, that means I will officially be done with sophomore year and be going into junior year. My joking aspirations about college and talking about plans for the future with my parents and counselor a few times a year will turn into actually touring schools I’m interested in, building a college list, and determining where I actually want to apply come senior year. All the “you have time”s and “you don’t have to think about this yet”s turn into “you should be getting started” and “you should be thinking about this.” I’ll have to start studying for the ACT/SAT (and decide which one I want to take, or if I want to try both) and do all that standardized testing junk. I’ll be taking my hardest course load in school so far, and continuing with my activities.

I’ve always been someone that’s looked forward to going to college and leaving home, but it’s still scary to have to start this process and make big decisions. Not to mention in order to hopefully get into whatever schools I apply to, I have to continue working hard and keeping up everything inside and outside of school that I’m already doing. There’s so many things that go into this process at the end of high school, and it’s crazy to think I’ll be getting started in mere months. I don’t know what colleges I’ll be able to visit and which ones I’ll like, and I don’t know if I’ll be able to discern if I genuinely like a school or not. As you can tell by the nature of these worries, I am an over-thinker and someone who plans ahead, so I have done some preliminary research and list-making, but it’s still based off of very limited knowledge in the grand scheme of things.

Another reason school is occupying so much space in my mind is because I miss it. I miss my teachers, and I had such wonderful teachers this year that I’m disappointed I wasn’t able to actually finish out the year with them and I won’t really get to say an in-person thank you and goodbye. I miss clubs and the business of a school week, and I miss being productive in that school hustle way. It’s weird to think how much time will pass before I’ll return to school, and daunting since when I do, it will be junior year and things will be so different/crazy in that way.

Since it’s nearing the end of the year, that also means finals are coming up! Honestly, my teachers haven’t said anything about finals, so I’m assuming we’re not actually having them. My school district switched our grading system so that our work is graded but our grades can only go up, and can’t drop from what they were pre-quarantine and online school. My grades were in a really good place before all this happened, so that was a pleasant surprise for me- I don’t have to stress about maintaining grades and studying for finals. That being said, things still always tend to get busy before the end of the year, especially with AP testing, so I’m still anticipating a bunch of work coming my way.

And, as I mentioned at the beginning, AP testing is stressful. With the new format of the tests and the fact that it’s up to me to study at home by myself, reviewing a year’s worth of material became so much more daunting. I put off studying for a little bit because of how uncertain everything was with testing, but in the past couple weeks I sprung into study mode, and I’m really hoping it pays off. Big tests always stress me out, and it’s consuming my mind right now since I’m at home and technically can be studying all the time; this makes me feel like I should be studying all the time to put myself in the best position possible before test day. I definitely want to be in the best position and headspace possible on test day, but I also don’t want to stress myself out too much.

Preparing for AP testing is also making me more conscious of all the testing I’ll be doing next year. Last year I took one AP test, and at the beginning of this year I took the PSAT, but other than that and my two APs coming up right now, I haven’t had to deal with standardized testing much. Next year, I will have five APs, taking the PSAT again, taking the SAT/ACT, and possibly taking SAT II Subject Tests at the end of the year if I end up planning to take those at that time. I guess so far I’ve done decently well in my standardized testing endeavors, but they do tend to stress me out and consume my mind while they’re looming- I have to get that stress under control before next year since I’ll have way more tests, and I don’t want my brain to constantly be focused on that.

With finishing up my sophomore year and realizing that I’m halfway done with high school, there’s a lot of reasons for school to be on the brain. Especially with being home in quarantine, I’ve had plenty of time to marinate my thoughts on these topics. That being said, I’m trying my best to reduce stress and stick it out, since summer is just around the corner and will hopefully be a lot more stress-free! Good luck to you all on finishing up your school year and taking AP tests 🙂

Brooke

How I’m Studying for the AP Euro and AP Psych Tests

BrookeLeave a comment

Hello everyone!

It’s AP season, and with the new test format I feel like everyone is more frantic than ever. I’ve just gotten into my crazy study mode and studying is going to be taking over a lot of my time for the next few weeks, so I figured I would share what I’m doing. I made a post like this not too long ago, but my plans have been modified due to the new test format, identifying my strengths and weaknesses, and the fact that I’m a little late to the game for studying AP Psych since I took the course online months ago and need more review. If you’re interested in learning about my study plan, keep on reading!

AP European History

  • My teacher has been posting review videos each week hitting on some main points and questions that people have been emailing him, so I’m watching all of them and taking organized notes on a Google Doc. I’ve also been reading my notes weekly to see if I have any questions to email my teacher for him to address in these videos.
  • I’m using my review book I bought at the beginning of the school year (The Princeton Review Cracking the AP European History Test), only the review chapters though. I’ve been doing the chapter drills and the multiple choice sections of practice tests as a way to judge my comprehension, but I haven’t done any of the writing practice from the book since there’s no point- even the DBQs are a different format.
  • My teacher modified old AP test DBQ prompts to only have five documents and made up a couple of his own, so I’ve done two of those practices so far and plan to try and do a practice for each of the prompts he’s posted.
  • I’ve watched every College Board YouTube review and taken notes on each one. I haven’t done the guided practice except for the full DBQs, since that’s the only thing actually being tested.

What I’m not doing:

  • AP Classroom assignments. I did a couple at first, but my teacher doesn’t assign them/suggest we do them and none of them are the same as what the format of the test will be (even the DBQs are 7+ documents!) so I don’t think it’s an effective use of my time.
  • Reading my textbook. Although I would do this for each unit test in the class, my notes are already a more effective summary for review at this point.

AP Psychology

  • I’m reading through my review book I got at the beginning of the year (The Princeton Review Cracking the AP Psychology Test) and doing the chapter drills as well as all practice test material! The FRQs are the same format as what will be on the test, and the multiple choice is good to gauge my comprehension since I’m very rusty.
  • I’m watching all the College Board YouTube reviews and taking dedicated notes on each. I’m actually doing most, if not all, of the guided practice for these since I think I could use any review I could get.
  • I’m studying my Barrons AP Psychology flash cards I got at the beginning of the year. I’m also using the “Key Terms” list at the end of each chapter in the Princeton Review book and making my own Quizlets to really hammer in the terms.
  • I’m going through the bank of old FRQs on the College Board’s website and practicing as many as I can.
  • Making a content outline for test day with main concepts/people/vocab, etc. since I don’t have solid notes from the course to use on the exam.

What I’m not doing:

  • I don’t have access to AP Classroom for Psych since I took the course online and I’m signed up under “test-only” through my actual school, so I’m not using it for this class either!
  • Using a textbook- I never had one for the class since I took it online, and at this point my review book is much more helpful anyways.
  • Using most/all of the resources from when I actually took the course. This is what’s making studying for this test so stressful for me- when I took the course online, we focused a lot more on multiple choice and simple vocabulary/concept mastery, so I don’t really have anything to go off of for FRQs.

I hope this helps anyone out studying for AP tests, especially if you’re in these specific AP classes. I wish you all the best in your studying, so good luck and get grinding! We’re all in this together, and hopefully testing goes smoothly even with all the changes.

Brooke

Personal Life Update & What I’ll Be Doing Over Break

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Hello everyone!

I wanted to do a little personal check-in since I feel like I’ve only mentioned bits and pieces of what’s going on with me on this blog lately. I did make a couple posts about COVID-19 that you could say were more on the personal side, but that wasn’t my intention in making them. In case you want to hear more random things about my life or some insight into a teen’s perspective on life at the moment, keep on reading!

If you’ve been reading my blog for a while, you would know that I write all of my posts for a week the weekend before, so as I am writing this I’m not sure if I will be back in school by the week you’re reading it. However, I’m still going to talk about what my new plans for spring break are, and what else is going on in my life. During the first (possibly only but I doubt it) week of our so-called “corona break” from school, I hung out with my friends one-on-one, tried to get ahead on schoolwork just in case, and cleaned my room. It was the typical type of stuff that I would do if I had extra time to myself on any other week/weekend.

I was disappointed when my mom and I had to cancel our spring break road trip to San Fransisco, but I knew it was for the best. I got my driver’s permit on February 18th, and I’ve barely been able to practice driving, so I plan to do a lot of that over spring break. Driving is more stressful and harder than I expected it to be; I’m fairly young for my grade because I have a summer birthday, and a lot of my friends have turned 16 and have their driver’s licenses already. They’ve all told me how easy it is once you get the hang of it, and how fun it is to drive, but I haven’t really experienced that yet. I’m super anxious and paranoid behind the wheel, and it doesn’t help that I live in Southern California in a fairly traffic-filled area. I’m hoping to get better though, and definitely have been sticking to practicing in residential neighborhoods for now.

I’m also awaiting my final responses from the summer programs I applied to. A few days ago, I actually got a response from the Sewanee Young Writers Conference (*cue drumroll*) and…. I was waitlisted. When I first opened up the email and read my decision I was upset, but the more I thought about it, I’m actually happy and kind of honored. I’ve never applied to anything of the sort and I’ve only really gotten into writing this year, so to be recognized in some way and not get a straight-up rejection was actually somewhat validation for me in a way that I haven’t gotten before. I’m crossing my fingers a spot opens up and/or that I get into Kenyon’s program, but I’m definitely not too upset about the waitlist.

Speaking of semi-rejection, I also applied to be on my school district’s student advisory committee a month ago. I received an email that I was a finalist for the three or four spots open reserved for students from my specific high school, so I had an interview with the committee advisor and the committee’s president. I thought the interview went pretty well and I was hopeful that I would get the spot, but I received an email a week later that they did not choose me to be one of the new representatives. I was really disappointed since it sounded like a great opportunity, but everything happens for a reason and it would’ve added another significant time commitment to my plate.

All my activities have come to a halt in light of the COVID-19 issues, so I don’t really have much on the calendar for spring so far. Yearbook had its last deadline, I have a few more volunteer meetings and leadership meetings, and I’m still consistently being forwarded submissions from Polyphony to edit. In one of the volunteer groups I’m in, I got a leadership position for next year- I’m the corresponding secretary who will keep track of everybody’s volunteer hours and run a social media account. Youth and Government had its last meeting a few weeks ago, and I actually won the Outstanding Sophomore of the Year award! It was voted on by the rest of my delegation and advisors, so I was super honored to win a special award as a first-year member. Other than that as far as activities go, I’m just keeping up with this blog and writing in my free time.

It feels weird to talk about school right now, but I feel like it’s always necessary to do a little check-in. I can’t believe it’s my last quarter of sophomore year, and that I’m going to be a junior. I was supposed to register for my junior year classes, but that day was one of the days during our first week of school closure. I’m not sure what’s going to happen with that, but I’m not mad about it being postponed since there’s so many class options and junior year classes are so important; I know I’ll have trouble deciding what classes to take, even though I already have a clear idea of what I think I’ll pick.

It just is so odd to think another summer is on the horizon, and that I’m going to be halfway done with high school/an upperclassman. Soon I’ll have to worry about studying for and taking standardized testing, and actually touring colleges with the intention of possibly applying to them and going there one day. There’s so much ahead, and time is only flying by faster. I’m honestly excited for most of it, but it’s definitely nerve-wracking as well.

At home, things are still chaotic. My grandma is still staying with my family and it looks like she’ll be sticking around for longer than we thought, since she hasn’t been able to go house-hunting in light of the coronavirus epidemic and being cautious about social-distancing since she’s in an at-risk age group. I hope you all are staying safe and managing well at home. It’s been nice to have time to relax in my room, but I’m also going a little stir-crazy.

I hope it wasn’t too boring to read this little update on my life. Things have been so crazy that I wouldn’t be surprised if I forgot to mention something, but I figured I had written enough. Feel free to let me know how your lives are going, I would love to talk to some of you 🙂

Brooke

10 Pastimes If Your School Has Closed & You’re Stuck at Home

BrookeLeave a comment

Hello everyone!

If you’ve read my last few posts, you would know that I have been off this entire week due to school closures in fear of the coronavirus spreading throughout my area. If you’re in a similar situation or have completely switched to online classes for the rest of the semester, you might have a lot more free time on your hands right now that you’re not sure what to do with, especially if you’re not supposed to be leaving the house at all/for unnecessary things. Keep on reading if you want some ideas for what to do at home while you’re bored!

  1. Read for fun! I know, I know, it sounds like something an adult would suggest. But what can you expect from a girl who loves to read and write? If you don’t have a book or some other material you’re interested in reading at home, find some material online- I know a lot of libraries are physically closed, but some have online options so you can check books out from there!
  2. Do your schoolwork. Yeah, this one’s probably a last resort (just kidding, teachers!) but it’s important. I haven’t been switched to online school yet at the time of writing this so I don’t really have any work to do, but when I was really bored I decided to get ahead on some of my work for English and AP Euro. If you actually have online classes, then it’s even more important to get your work done. Similarly, you could study for your AP tests since those will definitely be a little hectic with the uncertainty of school right now. You can also study for the SAT/ACT if you haven’t taken it yet or if yours got postponed.
  3. Bake/cook something. This kind of depends on your current situation; if grocery stores near you are wiped out, you probably don’t want to waste ingredients/food on a whim. However, if you have plenty of food around to spare, try out a recipe and have a nice family dinner. I know things get hectic during the school year and often having everyone together for a meal becomes rare during the busy weeks.
  4. Write a nice note to someone. Check in on your extended family and your friends, particularly if you haven’t talked to them since the virus madness started. Send an email, text, DM, Snapchat, whatever. It helps if you’re feeling lonely- this is one of those times where we can really see the benefits of social media. You can be FaceTiming your friends and digitally hanging out even though you can’t see each other at school!
  5. Catch up on TV/movies/videos. I finally got to watch some movies I’d been wanting to watch, and I watched all the videos in my YouTube subscription box that I hadn’t yet. Yes, it’s a more mindless activity, but it can be enjoyable and take your mind off things if you’re particularly stressed about the situation at hand, since I know a lot of people get anxious about getting sick.
  6. Learn something new. Practice a new language on Duolingo, do some random research on a topic you’ve always wanted to read more about, ask your family members at home with you to tell you a story from their childhood you’ve never heard before. Just do something different, or something that will stimulate your brain in the absence of being in a normal classroom.
  7. Do something creative. If you like to write, work on a new story or write some poems. If you’re an artist, draw or paint a new piece. Find some way to express your creativity. I feel like time alone at home is the perfect environment to do this- just enough boredom to inspire something great out of it.
  8. Clean your house. This is the perfect time to clean out a closet or drawer that you haven’t had time to. Sanitation-wise, it’s also a good idea to make sure your house is actually clean; you can vacuum/clean the floors, dust, scrub the bathtubs, etc. I cleaned out my desk the first day of the week that I didn’t have school, and it felt really nice to have a clean space, especially since I was going to be spending so much time there throughout the week.
  9. Make plans for the future, when everything’s back to normal. Plan a trip you can go on once it’s safe to travel again. Talk with friends about what you want to do once you can all hang out in public places normally again. If you have specific plans, it’ll give you something to look forward to and remind you that this situation is only temporary.
  10. Practice extra self-care. Now you have an excuse to pamper yourself at home- you finally have the time! Take a hot bath, relax with a face mask, light candles. You might as well, if you’re going to have so much me-time. It’ll also help calm you in these stressful and strange times, which is very important.

I hope these ideas help you out if you’re bored or going stir-crazy within your house. I hope you are all safe and healthy, and wishing for our return to normalcy as soon as possible. Let me know if you have any more ideas you think should be on this list, or if you need someone to talk to 🙂

Brooke

My Summer Writing Program Application Process

BrookeLeave a comment

Hello everyone!

I haven’t discussed this topic on my blog in a while, but I applied for two summer programs. I haven’t heard back from either one yet, but the decisions should be coming back by the end of this month! It’s the first “major” application process I’ve ever had to go through for anything, and I learned a lot from it since I navigated it myself. I’ll definitely do an update once I get my decisions back, but I just wanted to give an overview of the process I went through.

At first, I wasn’t even sure what type of program I wanted to go to. I was looking at a lot of creative writing ones, but they all seemed so competitive, and I was just looking at lots of different types of programs since I knew I wanted the experience in general. However, as I went down the rabbit hole of research on various blogs, forums, and college advice websites, it became clear I was most interested in a writing program. Even though most are super competitive, I wanted to shoot my shot so that if I ended up paying to go to a program, it was going to be worth the money.

I ended up applying to the Kenyon Review Young Writers Workshop and the Sewanee Young Writers Conference, both prestigious and competitive writing programs. However, I did not only apply to them for prestige- I’ve been obsessed with Kenyon for a while, and I fell in love with Sewanee’s program after reading about it on multiple sites. Both are in such beautiful locations that I know would be great environments for writing, and both schools are strong in creative writing. I did not apply to Iowa Young Writer’s Studio as I figured it was too competitive and I only wanted to apply to two programs.

I was able to narrow it down to these two programs by making tons of lists. First, I made a master list of programs. I then realized I wanted to go to a writing program and made a master list of only writing programs. I started to individually research each program, and made a smaller list based on fit, price, and length/dates. Then after doing even more research and seeing what the applications consisted of, I went with my gut and decided to apply to Sewanee and Kenyon- go big or go home.

The Kenyon application was super simple. I had to write a 300-word essay about a specific moment when words were meaningful to me. I chose a moment from preschool where I would read to my classmates and I felt in control and powerful from my ability to tell stories. The only other requirements were to fill out a basic information form (including a transcript) and get a letter of recommendation from a teacher, so I filled the form out and asked my current English teacher for a recommendation later, which she thankfully wrote super fast! I might share the essay on here if I end up getting in (fingers crossed!).

The Sewanee application was much more complicated. I had to submit an eight to ten page sample of creative writing in my choice of genres (which we had to select) as well as a statement of purpose that was suggested to be between 500-750 words. They gave a list of things to discuss in the statement of purpose so I used that as a guideline and kind of went all over the place with it, but I spent a long time choosing what to send for my sample. I only sent poetry, so I just sent off all the poems I was most proud of. You also had to fill out another standard information form including a transcript (they accept unofficial ones, so I just took a screenshot of my student portal), and get a letter of recommendation, so my teacher used the same one from the Kenyon application.

I submitted both applications in the second week of February, as soon as my teacher finished the recommendation letter. Sewanee has a rolling deadline and starting reviewing applications about a week and a half ago as I’m writing this, and Kenyon’s application was due March 1st but they release decisions in late March. I’m not expecting anything since I know I’m not the most polished or experienced writer and these are both competitive programs, but I would be so blessed and ecstatic to get in and to attend either one. I’m hoping for the best and I’ll update you soon- wish me luck!

Brooke

How to Select Your Class Schedule for Next Year

BrookeLeave a comment

Welcome back everyone!

It’s that time of year again- second semester is flying by, the longing for spring break and eventually summer intensifies, and registration for next year’s classes is upon us. For some of you, it may have even happened already, but for me it’s in the next couple weeks. If you’ve been conflicted and aren’t sure on how to choose your classes for next year, you’re in the right place! Keep on reading to hear my tips. A quick disclaimer beforehand- different things work for different people, so don’t be pressured into taking classes that might not be the best for you. Think of your mental health and don’t bite off more than you can chew, but also make sure that you will still be challenged.

  1. Make sure you have your core four/five subjects. This is English, history, foreign language, math, and science. If you were ahead in one or more of these subjects and have aged out of the sequence at your school, make sure you have other classes to take, whether electives or doubling up in another subject. You could also take dual enrollment classes at a local community college or through your school if that’s offered, or do a class online if necessary.
  2. Consider the level of classes. Whether it’s CP, Honors, AP, or IB, consider how much of a workload you’re willing to take on. This might depend on what activities you’re involved in, and how you did in this/last year’s classes. If you’re having trouble deciding what level of certain classes to take, ask your counselor and/or parents for advice. If you’re up to take 5+ APs and have your heart set on competitive colleges, go for it! Just keep in mind what that workload will look like.
  3. Make sure you like your electives. There are soooo many options at my school that it’s overwhelming to choose- if you’re in the same boat, make the most of this! If you need/want a GPA boost, choose an honors elective. If you’re into the arts, take an art class. Take advantage of the options available to you- it’ll be fun and feel less like another class full of work.
  4. Check that you’re fulfilling graduation requirements and A-G requirements if you plan to apply to UC schools. Since I live in California, my high school basically makes us fulfill the A-G requirements to graduate, but I know that out-of-staters might not be aware of this. You can easily look them up or ask your counselor, but they might be different than your normal graduation requirements. Either way, make sure your schedule is putting you on track to graduate on time.
  5. If you’re leaning towards a certain career path, check that your classes align with that as much as possible. For example, my school has a really cool cadaver-based advanced anatomy class that you have to apply to get into, so people who are interested in going into the medical field are encouraged to try and get into that class senior year. In general, my class has a lot more STEM/science class options whereas other subjects have a set class you take each year, so people interested in STEM often double up on science classes junior/senior year to take advantage of this. Since I’m not super interested in STEM, I have less options and am not interested in taking all the science classes available, so it all depends.
  6. Have an idea of what you’ll take the year after next, if possible. Is the class schedule you’re choosing for next year going to set you up to take classes you want the year after that? This is a huge thing to think about if you’re going into junior year like me, since not only are your junior year classes super important, but your senior year classes are as well. Therefore, you’re setting a trajectory for the rest of high school.
  7. Consider getting ahead in certain subjects/self-studying/taking online classes if you don’t have room in your schedule for everything you want. There are many different reasons you might consider doing each of these things. If you want to finish your foreign language credit faster, consider taking the last year online. If you want more college credits or your school doesn’t offer a lot of AP classes, consider self-studying for a subject you’re interested in, or taking an AP class online. If you’re looking for a GPA boost or to take an AP class that will be slightly easier, take one of the APs with a reputation of being “easier” online, such as AP Psych or AP Environmental Science.

I hope these tips help you create the perfect class schedule for the upcoming school year. I know it’s intimidating to think about the possible impact of your choices on college and the future in general, but you can always request a schedule change/change your mind. Trust me, I’m definitely freaking out too thinking about how I’m going to be a junior, but it’s also exciting! Also, as soon as you make your class choices, it’s actually a relief since the decision is behind you and you no longer have to worry, as it is what is and we’re moving closer to a new year.

Brooke

How to Succeed in an AP History Class

BrookeLeave a comment

Hello everyone!

If you’ve been struggling in an AP history class this year or are currently deciding whether to take one in your class schedule next year, you’ve come to the right place! I’m going to be providing a few tips that have helped me get through AP European History this year and AP Human Geography (I know it’s not really a core AP history class, but it fits more into the history category than anything else) last year. Each AP class is a different level of difficulty at every school, but at may school the history APs are definitely some of the hardest/most complained about, so keep that in mind and keep on reading if you want to hear my tips!

  • Understanding the writing format is key. My AP Human Geography teacher was super clear with us on how to write an FRQ from the get-go, and we did two as a part of every unit test. In AP Euro, writing has been a lot less clear; we didn’t fully go over LEQs, DBQs, and SAQs until the start of second semester. Practice using old AP test questions found on the College Board website, and study the rubrics. It’s easier if you do this towards the beginning of the year, but it’s possible to cram and sort of fake your way through as long as you know the actual historical information.
  • Do the reading. Depending on the way your class is structured, this may be less useful, but for me it’s a great way to refresh on the information. You have a textbook for a reason, and it’s also helpful in cramming for the AP test if you want a slightly more in-depth review of everything.
  • Get a prep book at the beginning of the year. If you’re ever confused on a certain historical event or concept, or you’re just unsure how well-versed you need to be in it for the AP test, you can always refer to a prep book to explain it in simpler terms/a condensed format. I’m partial to The Princeton Review books because I love that they include practice tests, but I’ve heard the AMSCO prep books are really good for the history APs- my Euro teacher has a set and I’ve looked over them from time to time.
  • Take detailed notes, and revise them later. This is another thing that’s helped me a lot. My Euro teacher has structured the class so our main way of learning is his lectures where we take notes- I try to write down basically every fact or detail he says, but then I make my own typed notes for each unit as a study guide for the test, only including key events and people with a timeline. In the end, you have a neat version of your notes, and you’ve already reviewed the information.
  • Use your resources! This is key for any AP class, but I think there’s often a lot more resources and opportunities for the history classes. Watch Crash Course videos on YouTube/any review videos, find Quizlets that review key terms, and ask older friends how they succeeded in your particular class, since every teacher/class is slightly different. For example, my teacher offers 5 points of extra credit each unit if we make flashcards for around 50 key terms from the unit- it’s a ton of work, but I do it since the extra credit builds up and it’s another way to study.
  • Make the connections. As I’ve learned, pretty much every concept and event can be connected to others, especially because of the cause and effect relationships that occur in history. Remember that you can’t forget the earlier dates/events, but try to break things up into more general/larger categories and the major things to make it more manageable.
  • Practice, practice, practice! I mentioned this in my How To Get a 5 On AP Human Geography post (go check it out if you haven’t!), but it’s honestly the best way to do well. Even if you haven’t been doing well in the class at school, you can still turn things around and do well on the AP test if you put the work in. For me, practice tests were the most helpful.

I hope these tips help you finish the semester strong in whatever history class you’re in, and do well on the corresponding AP test! History is one of my favorite subjects, but I’ve definitely still had my struggles with keeping up with the workload of AP Euro this year. Let me know what history class you’re currently in, and what history you’ll be taking next year (APUSH for me :))!

Brooke

How to Get a 5 on AP Human Geography

BrookeLeave a comment

Welcome back everyone!

I literally have had this post idea in my drafts since the beginning of August/the end of summer, and crazy enough, it’s finally about time to break it out! My AP Euro teacher has a countdown of days until our AP test, and when the countdown got to under 70 days last week, I figured it was a good time to get back to this post. Last year I took the AP Human Geography test and was lucky enough to get a 5 on it, so even though I’m not a total expert, I feel qualified enough to give you some tips.

  • Get a review book! I got The Princeton Review one because I liked that it had practice tests and I feel like that’s all you really need. If you don’t want to spend the money, ask your teacher if they have any you can borrow or ask people who have taken the test in the past if they have old ones they don’t want anymore. I also heard the Barrons review book is good for APHUG, but I didn’t personally use it.
  • Know the models. I feel like this is a crucial component of the class, and the models often come up on the FRQ questions. Funnily enough, the models didn’t come up too much on the version of the test I took last year, but any teacher will tell you it’s still essential to know them.
  • Don’t get intimidated by trick questions. At my school, APHUG was the only AP class freshmen could take so it’s most people’s first AP test, and everyone kind of freaks out. If it’s your first AP test too, don’t get thrown off by the trick questions that they try and give you. It might seem like something you don’t understand how to answer or something that’s impossible, but it’s all about applying the concepts you do know to these tricky questions.
  • Take practice tests! I feel like this helps for any AP class or standardized test. This is what I believe really prepared me for the test most, as practice tests help me a lot in general. If you get the Princeton Review book there should be two in there, and you can find more online from various sources as well as practice FRQs on the College Board website from all previous years of the test.
  • Watch YouTube videos for review. Not only can you find helpful videos of review concepts, you can also find other videos giving tips for the test. I remember Study for Success’s video on how to get a 5 on APHUG was really helpful and she had links to a website that had a lot of resources specifically for APHUG, so go check that out if you’re interested.
  • Don’t cram the night before. At that point, you’re not going to retain the information. If there’s a couple things you want to review or you just want to take one more practice test that’s fine, but don’t try to pull an all-nighter for the sake of cramming. I promise if you’ve already studied, you will be fine.
  • Work on your pacing. Again, this mainly applies if it’s your first standardized test/AP test, but it’s important to know your pacing! Be aware of how much time you have for the multiple choice section and the FRQs, and remember that guessing is better than leaving something blank- do not leave anything blank if possible!!
  • Use the identify, explain, example format for the FRQs. My teacher taught us this starting in the beginning of the year. Basically, when you’re answering each part of the question, identify your main answer/reason, then explain it, and give an example/connect it to something in real life or a specific country and situation that you know relates to the topic.

This was off the top of my head so I easily could’ve forgotten some things- I will definitely go back and do another tips post as the test inches closer. Definitely start studying in advance, but don’t worry too much. APHUG is famous for being one of the easier AP tests since it’s relatively common knowledge/understandable topics being tested and a lot of underclassmen take it. I definitely didn’t expect to get a 5 even though I was really hoping for one, and I believe that you can all get a 5 as well. Please let me know if you have any questions.

Brooke