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APUSH help.. Please


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Hi there! 

 

So, pretty much, I'm in my sophomore year of highschool and taking AP U.S History.

The class has been soooo different from other classes i've taken in the past (which makes sense because, well, its an AP class...) but, i'm having a hard time balancing how to read the textbook, study for tests, and taking notes from the book. It's driving me crazy. I know there are key points that I should focus on (like, results and impacts from the different events ect...) but, I don't want to spend 2 hours on APUSH homework ALONE. Most of it is just reading. 

 

Are there any tips on efficiently studying for a college level class? I've googled, bing-ed (or whatever) and stuff... but, getting advice one on one... or.. one on brony... would be nice..

 

(I'm kind of bummed out, because my first exam ended up TERRIBLY... I couldn't finish the test) 

 

:(

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Hi! College student here who took APUSH in high school. Got an A in the class and a 4 on the exam. (Okay, enough bragging, me...)

 

It comes down to figuring out how you study best. For me, I read/highlight the book and take my own notes, then review those a few times before the test. For others, it's making flashcards and quizzing themselves constantly. For my friends back in high school, it was "don't read the book, don't listen to the lecture, I'm okay with a C in the class." Don't be like that.

 

It also helps to figure out how your teacher gives exams. My teacher's exams were in the style of the actual AP test (questions, including the DBQ and FRQs, were pulled from previous years' exams) so we learned really quick how in-depth and into what topics we needed to study. Most teachers will focus on what they lectured on and supplement it with things from the book that didn't appear in the lecture to trip up the people who don't read. 

 

One thing you could try, if reading for a few hours isn't your thing: skim the entire reading section once, pulling out ONLY the main facts. This could be as simple as "hey, George Washington led the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War" and that's it. If you end up not being able to finish the reading before your next quiz/test/whatever, you at least have a general idea as to what to expect. After you skim, go through with a highlighter and highlight important points and supplementary information. You'll still highlight a fair majority of the reading, but the important bits will stand out and be easier to memorize (hopefully). If you REALLY have time and want to do well, take notes on your reading/highlight. I typed mine up--one section header was a bullet point, a subheader was an indented bullet point, and all of the facts under that subheader went in that section. Terrible explanation, but it totally works. Trust me. I'm in college.

 

AP classes are definitely rough, but if you can survive APUSH, you'll do just fine in "actual" college classes. So don't despair!

 

Oh, and ask the teacher for help. That's always a priority.

 

 

(Side note: I was the best writer in my class, by far. But I didn't know how to write the FRQ/DBQ's, so I ended up getting a D on my first written assignment in APUSH. I went in, talked to the teacher, figured out what I did right/wrong, and fixed it in time for the next writing assignment. I think my lowest grade from then on was a high B. Talking to the teacher is HUGE.)

Edited by Kolth
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Find a note taking strategy you find efficient, and maybe do a little further research on the people and places you learn about. Yes, I know it's time consuming, but it may help you appreciate and understand the material better.

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A in class, 5 on exam so I knew apush. In any case the class is a whole bunch of crap to remember. That's what this history class comes down to. And I mean a ton of crap. The best thing I learned is that it's great to read the textbook and take 1 note per paragraph. hits a lot of the main points. Extra essays are also great, I don't know if these are something your teacher assigned but they enrich and Connect. The last thing is a review book. Fast track to a 5, the crash course book are all great and they hit just about everything and are great to review

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The secret to AP history isn't memorizing what happened, but how and why it happened, and the effects it had on The country.

 

Pro Tip: Don't take Adderall to try to improve you studying. You'll end up memorizing the names of all 535 members of the 112th Congress.

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