Surviving AP European History

AP European History was one of the harder AP classes that I have taken. Probably because I am more of a math and science kind of person, but I did learn some tips for surviving the class.

1)      Take thorough notes. I found out that things that seem unimportant can actually turn up on quizzes and tests. So, make sure you pay attention to details and ask you teacher what you need to know.  

2)      There are a lot of people you are going to keep track of, and some of them even have the same name. So, come up with a system that will help you remember their stories. For me I wrote out all of the important details of that person’s life and a friend of mine drew comic strips of the events. Whatever will help you to understand the complex relationships between important people in history.

3)      Similar to people, there are a lot of complicated events that you will have to know and be able to analyze. You are going to need to know: who was involved and what they did, what effect did this have on the society, and the impact that it would have on the future. You are also going to need a system that will help you keep track of all the events along with the people.

4)       Trust your instincts. On tests some of the questions will be tricky, but you just have to go with your gut. Usually the question is not as tricky as you think.

5)      If your textbook is anything like mine, it is SUPER hard to understand. So, I recommend going online and listening to other teachers lecture. If you just go to youtube and type in the subject you need, there will be many videos you can choose from. My recommendations would be the lectures from John Green‘s crash course videos and a teacher named Tom Richey. (I will link to both of their channels at the end of this post.) The good thing about watching lectures online is you can watch them over and over until you can fully understand the concept.

6)      You are going to need to stay on top of your work. There is a lot of things to learn in not a lot of time to do so. Chances are that your class is going to be pretty fast paced, so it will not be good if you get behind.

 

Tom Richey’s Chanel: https://www.youtube.com/user/tomforamerica

John Green’s Crash Course: https://www.youtube.com/user/crashcourse

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Teachers Giving Lectures Online - A Review

Throughout my years in high school I have had a few teachers record lectures and put them online, then give us homework of watching them. I have a feeling that in the future more teachers will also move towards this opposite teaching style. I have heard from my classmates both ways: some like it, some hate it. Personally, I am not a fan of this style of teaching but, like everything there are some benefits.

First off, I think we all know that I am a master procrastinator and easily get distracted while trying to do my homework. So giving twenty to thirty minute lectures as homework, is probably not the smartest idea. I cannot tell you the number of times I have fallen asleep within the first five minutes of turning the video on. I would rather get a worksheet that is easy enough to work through.

Also, with these videos I usually have to watch the video or certain sections of it two or three times to understand it. This just adds on to the time it takes to get through it. I think it would be easier to have the teacher lecture in class so that I could ask questions if I needed to. And usually with more time in class teachers will explain concepts more clearly and make it way easier to understand. I know I am just supposed to ask questions in class the next day, but we all know that I am just too lazy for that.

I do like, however, the fact that we get more practice in class. Especially if it is a math class I think it is beneficial to use the class to practice the concepts. Then you can get help with the complicated problems instead of spending extra time at night trying to figure it out. Because let’s face it, you probably won’t figure it out and have to ask about it the next day in class anyway.

I don’t know if one teaching style is particularly better than another, but I am not a fan of this particular one.

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How to Surive AP Biology

Last year I was in two AP classes, AP biology and AP European history. Many of my classmates say that AP biology is one of the hardest ones to take. Throughout the year I picked up a few tips that will make it a whole lot easier and less stressful.

First, make sure to read your textbook. I know it may not be the most entertaining material to read but it is not as hard as other textbooks. It won’t take nearly as long as you think and it will give you all the information you need to pass the class. But when you do read, it is okay to skim the chapters you already know about. If you are taking this class I am assuming it is not your first ever science class, which means you already know the basics. Trust me, you do not need to waste even more of your time scrutinizing the chapters that you already know. Focus on the new stuff because that is what you will be tested over and is harder to learn.

Next, if your teacher gives them to you, do the guided readings. It will keep you focused while reading and give you an idea of what the important ideas are of the chapter. Plus, usually they are easy bonus points you could add to the grade book. Then right before the test, look them over because if you filled them out correctly, they will give you all of the answers. Try to fill them out as well as you can while you are reading and ask your teacher for help if you don’t understand something. It is way easier to learn the material as you read or listen to lectures in class rather than the night before an important exam.

Make sure to look at the pictures in the textbook. I mean really look at them not just glancing at it and getting the “gist” of it. This means reading every little word or caption that comes along with it. Pictures are a great tool to help you understand important concepts that could otherwise be very confusing.

If you don’t know everything, it’s okay. I noticed on the AP exam that they mostly tested you on critical thinking rather than recalling information. So, basically just know the main ideas because usually they will give you the information that you have to synthesize. Now, this could be either good or bad depending on who you are. So adjust accordingly.

Helpful hint: Trust yourself. Sometimes the answer is so simple that it seems wrong. Don’t let the easy questions trip you up; usually your instincts are correct.

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The Key To Multiple Choice Tests

First off that this is not a post that condones not studying for a test. It really is best to actually know the information rather than relying on chances, you will do much better. But in case there is a question that you have absolutely no idea what the answer is here are a few tips that could increase your chances of getting it right.

1)      If you have any instincts to what the right answer might be, go with that one. It might be your subconscious trying to tell you something.  Usually your instincts are right so always go with it.

2)      If it is a complicated question and there is an answer that is especially longer than the others, typically that is the right one. For instance if all of the options are just one word except one that is two sentences, pick the answer that is two sentences.  Unless obviously wrong, it is probably the right answer.

3)      Use other questions on the test to give you clues. Sometimes an answer to one question will give you the answer to another. Or, in one question there will be a statement that gives you the answer to another. This is why you should circle the questions you are unsure about and comeback to them once you have completed the rest of the test. Plus, sometimes all you need is some time to think or reason through the question.

4)      Don’t spend too much time on the questions you don’t know. The last thing you want is to run out of time because you couldn’t figure out the answer to one question. I know its hard but you have to move past it and answer the questions that you do know the answers to. You don’t want to flunk the test because of one stupid question.

5)      We have all heard the trick that C is the most common answer on the test. Well, there has to be come logic to that. So if you are in a situation where you have absolutely no idea so it really doesn’t matter what option you pick, I would go with C. I mean there has to be some truth to that statistic right?

Helpful tip: If you can’t recall the information right away. Give it a minute, sometimes even the most random bits of knowledge can come back to you. Or sometimes you can even reason through it to find an answer that may not be 100% correct but it might be close.

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How to Walk In the Hallway

The fact that I even have to write this is really annoying. As an upperclassman I am here to tell you what is and isn’t okay when walking through the hallway on between classes. As much as I hate to say this, I am not making this up. I am saying this from my own personal experiences. I know that not everyone out there does things like what I am about to tell you, but still pay attention. Not to generalize a class, but usually it is freshmen who are the culprits of these dumb acts.

1)      I am all for socializing and talking with your friends in between classes. I think it’s fine, especially when that is the only time you get to see them. But, what is not okay is taking up the entire hallway with your little gang of friends. I cannot tell you the amount of times I have had to shove my way through a clump of freshman to get to class. I don’t care if you think it’s rude of me, its rude of you to completely take up a busy hallway just to talk with your friends.

2)      When walking to class, please keep walking. If you are in a stream of people walking through the hallway, do not just suddenly stop right it front of me. I will shove you out of the way because I really don’t care if you see your friend on the other side of the foyer and just have to say hi to them. If you want to talk to them, get out of the line so the rest of us can pass by without running into you.

3)      Another thing when walking to class, try to pay attention to where your class is. Many times I have been walking to class in a busy hallway and the person in front of me not only stops abruptly but, turns around and starts walking in the other direction to get the classroom that we just passed. I mean seriously, what do you expect me to do, there is probably fifty people behind me and we all have to stop and probably run into each other because you couldn’t pay attention enough to know where your own classroom is.

I am sorry if this post sounded like a rant but I am tired of running into people when trying to get to class. When our hallways are this crowded, you can’t just do whatever you want and block people. You will probably get run over by an upperclassman like me.

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What To Keep In Your Locker

I don’t know about you, but I don’t really use my locker that much. My school is so big that I hardly have time to go to it in between classes. But, I know that other people do use their locker more than I do. So, if I actually used my locker here is what I would keep in it:

1)      Heavy textbooks. I know most classes will either have an online version or a copy of the textbook that you can keep at home. But, there is always one or two classes that require you to carry your book around with you. This is when the locker would come in handy, just keep it in there until you need it that day , so that you don’t have to carry it around with you.

2)      My binders for classes that are after lunch. At my school, we have four classes before lunch, and two after. I would keep all of my materials that are required for those last two classes in my locker during the morning and switch them out during lunch break. This way you are not carrying around extra weight that you don’t need to be.

3)      Pictures of my friends. I probably wouldn’t go all out with wallpaper or one of those stick on chandeliers, but I do think it would be fun to keep pictures of your friends in there with fun magnets.

4)      An extra change of clothes. This is in case you spill something on yourself at lunch. You can just change your clothes in the bathroom so you don’t have to walk around the rest of the day with food all over yourself. Trust me, this can be a lifesaver. Also, if for some reason your school decided to be really cold that day, you will always have a sweatshirt you can put on.

5)      Extra pencils and pens. Okay, I don’t know if this is just me but, I tend to lose my pencils. I don’t know how, but they just tend to disappear on me. So keeping extras in your locker would be helpful. This way you are not that annoying person who always has to ask for a pencil every single day.

6)      Winter coats. Where I live, our winters can be brutally cold. I have to wear big puffy coats to school so I don’t freeze to death walking in and out of school every day. I really don’t want to carry this around with me, so I keep it in my locker.

7)      Hair ties. I have long hair, and sometimes it can get quite annoying. Right now I usually have to keep them on my wrist, but sometimes they can be too tight and really annoying during class. But, if I were to use my locker I would definitely keep some extras in there.

8)      An extra phone charger. I don’t know if your teachers will allow you to charge your phone in their classroom, but if they do I would recommend keeping an extra charger in your locker. Because I know, that sometimes it is easy to forget to charge your phone at night and you don’t want it dying on you in the middle of the day.

Helpful Tip: I would also keep gum or mints in my locker to freshen my breath after lunch.

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Spirit Days!

You know what they are, every school has them, it’s a day where students dress in the craziest outfits they can possibly find. Spirit Days like homecoming or prom, is another one of those occasions unique to high school. Some choose to go all out, by completely covering their entire body with your school color, others choose not to participate at all. Then there are other types of spirit days, where you just wear things of a certain given topic. For example on America day, you might wear a bandanna or a shirt with a giant American flag on it.

Homecoming week is a whole five days dedicated to spirit days. The topics can range from simply wearing your school colors, to having to dress up like superheroes. I don’t know about you, but I usually don’t personally participate in these (probably because I am just too lazy), but I do enjoy seeing the different outfits people put together. It makes class a little more interesting when you have Captain America sitting in front of you. I try to wear one of my many school t-shirts though on spirit days that just require school apparel.

If you are going to go all out, I highly suggest doing it with all of your friends. That way if you dress up, you will have great pictures to show. I mean how often do you get to dress up like Disney Princesses with all of your friends? Or like your favorite TV show characters? Or wear your pajamas to school? Probably not as often as you would like. But, don’t feel bad if you choose not to participate because I am right there with you. I prefer watching the craziness rather than joining in on it.

I think spirit days are fun and a great way to make your day just a little more interesting. In a strange way, it sort of unites the school. As its name implies, it really does lift school spirit and gives the student body a sense of pride. We all want to think our school is the best, and spirit days accentuate that. It can bring out school pride in even the most pessimistic person.

Helpful Tip: If you really want to make an impact with your costume, I suggest going all out. Make sure that nearly every inch of your body is covered with the spirit day subject. It needs to be like you re dressing up to go trick or treating on Halloween when you were five years old.

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