<p>I am really interested in taking AP European history next year for 10th grade. However, I have heard that most colleges are more impressed if someone takes AP World History than AP European History. Is this true? Do Ivy Leagues care which AP history class you take?</p>
<p>Not really sure, but my son’s GC recommended APUSH for junior year and AP European for senior. Not sure why but that’s what he is taking. BTW, he is just about finished with APUSH and took the US History subject test this past Saturday, and although we didn’t get the score back yet, he thinks he aced it and finished in 30 minutes, instead of the 60 allotted. Point being, plan on taking the subject test right after the course. His APUSH exam is next week.</p>
<p>At my high school, you take either European history or World History during 10th grade and then United States history during 11th grade.</p>
<p>I don’t really know about ‘impressing’ colleges, but when checking AP credit policies of lots of universities during college app process for my D, I got the distinct impression that Euro is regarded somewhat more highly than world.</p>
<p>At some of the really top schools you can’t get much use for your AP credit at all, and history is one of the first areas that get dropped. At lower ranked places they treat all 3 history classes about the same. But in the middle ground, here and there you see differential treatment, and when you do, it is always the world history that loses. Examples-Cornell and Carleton both grant credit for APUSH and Euro, but none at all for world. UIUC grants credit for all 3, but you can’t use world to satisfy gen. ed requirement, while the other 2 do. At some schools Euro and APUSH get specific course credit that one can use to satisfy prereqs if you want to take more advanced history, while world will only get you some general credit hours.</p>
<p>I think it is best to take the class you have the most personal interest in or the one which has the best teacher. Unless the AP credits you get from your college matter a lot to you because you want to bypass gen eds to make it easier to dbl major or something like that, in which case you might check credit policies at some likely schools to help you make decision.</p>
<p>I don’t really care about the college credit rather than actually taking the class and getting an A. History is my favorite subject and I am more interested learning about Europe than Asia, Africa, etc. But do colleges prefer one over the other?</p>
<p>At your high school, which class has the better teacher?</p>
<p>For my school AP Euro was more important than World since our college would require Euro class and World is used as an elective credit, not history.</p>
<p>Has anyone told you why you they think Colleges prefer AP World over AP Euro?</p>
<p>To be honest, I’ve never heard this said before. Basically, colleges prefer that you take the most rigorous academic curriculum available at your HS. Unless there is some reason to beleive that the AP World course is significantly more rigorous that AP Euro, I doubt that it would make any difference at all.</p>
<p>More importantly – even if there were a difference, taking a course you’re not interested in when the HS offers a course that you are interested in is really just silly. </p>
<p>On “Most Rigorous” – this info is a couple of years old. My D took a couple of photography courses in HS. They were not the most rigorous, and she took them at the expense or an extra academic course. Honestly, it probably meant she took one AP fewer than she would have otherwise taken. I discussed this with a couple of Admissions Officers on college visits (while my daughter toured). Basically, they all said (some even laughed about it) that if one wants to learn about Photography one should take a Photography course. The idea of ‘most rigorous schedule’ to them does not mean exclude courses hat interest you.</p>
<p>So, to make a long story short. Unless your GC tells you that he or she will be unable to check the “most rigorous curiculum” box in the letter of recommendation should you take Euro – take the course that interests you.</p>
<p>AP Euro is a great class and I highly recommend it for your sophomore year. Take AP world in your senior year as an extra, that’s what I’m doing and it’s what’s recommended as well. Also the AP Euro exam is nothing to sweat about, especially if you study! Good luck!</p>
<p>As other posters above stated, AP Euro carries more weight than World History.
I’m always a bit surprised that students state that getting college credit doesn’t matter to them. If your chosen college (or the one that chooses you) gives credit than at $200/credit hour (x3 for a course for example) that is $600 in your pocket for doing well on an exam not including the cost of books, housing etc.</p>
<p>AP world is nearly required at my school while AP euro is regarded as an elective. Soph-AP world, Junior-APUSH, Senior-AP Gov.</p>
<p>I’ve never heard of one being favored over the other by colleges. At most of the schools my D applied to, you could get 6 credits for each of them. However, there was one school that gave 6 credits for AP World and 3 for AP Euro, and another than gave 3 credits for AP World and 6 for AP Euro. My D took AP Euro because she was more interested in European history and she liked the AP Euro teacher better. She was taking it in 10th grade, when she wasn’t giving a thought to what some hypothetical college in her future might prefer.</p>