<p>Hi, I'm going to be a freshman in high school this year and as my school only has one AP class and you can't take it until senior year, I have decided to self study for two exams. I have already decided on AP Psychology but I don't know whether to do AP Environmental Science, Human Geography, or Art History. I'm leaning towards environmental science because I did a section on ecology in 8th grade and I am very good in science. But, I heard Human Geography is the easiest one. I have already decided on psychology because I am interested in it but what other one should I take?</p>
<p>Also, any advice for first time self-studying. I am willing to put in a lot of work and I have the time to do so. What books for each also? I was looking at the SparkNotes Prep Pack and Barron's for Psychology along with anything I could pick up free online or at my local library. I didn't really look for the other subject as I am undecided so please give suggestions. Thank you so much in advance!</p>
<p>I’m taking two APs in school and 3 self studies as a sophomore. </p>
<p>Out of the three you’re debating over I recommend either APES or APHG.</p>
<p>I’m using 5 Steps for APES and it’s <em>okay</em>, not really what I like, so I’d wait for book recommendations for ES.</p>
<p>For APHG I’m using Barron’s and it fits the bill nicely.</p>
<p>For psych I am using 5 Steps. I looked over PR, Barron’s, and 5 Steps, and found 5 Steps to be the easiest to read of the three.</p>
<p>I am supplementing my studies with online notes from teachers. Take a look, a lot of the work is done for you. </p>
<p>You should save AP Art History for another time when you know what to expect from the AP tests. APs are no soft joke and you should maximize your score and not the number you take. I’m starting off with the “softer” self-studies and will eventually work to harder ones. </p>
<p>Thank You! I wasn’t really sure about AH I just threw it in there for an opinion on it because I heard it was one of the easier self studies. I’m gonna check out a couple books and right now I’m reading the sparknotes online study guide for psychology to try and get a main idea before diving into some prep books. I still don’t know whether to go with APES or APHG! It’s a tough decision but I think I might go with ES and save HG for next year.</p>
<p>I was a freshman 09-10 school year, too.
I also did Psych.
Out of the lists, in my opinion, you should do environmental science. Because you (everybody should during middle school) already have a little bit of background information on the subject.
I also did ES & HG, and in my opinion, ES is way easier.
Plus, from what you told, you seem more confident on ES, so it seems like the best option.</p>
<p>I’m going to take your advice on that as I am a science person. Environmental Science wasn’t my favorite but I think studying that will be easier because I have a little background info whereas on Human Geography I have none. Thanks for your opinion! I really really really really appreciate it.</p>
<p>I’m also self-studying APES, and the general consensus is that Princeton Review’s guide is the best resource (outside of CB’s released exams and audit exam) to use. So far, I’ve found PR to be well-written and quite interesting.</p>
<p>I would recommend going for ES. As a freshman, you’ll have more time. HG has less content, so you should probably self-study it for a future testing year. Try doing art history as a sophomore; I don’t think it’s a good first AP to take.</p>
<p>I heard Art History has a huge memorization load so I would hold off on that one till soph or junior year. A couple of my friends took ES this past year, and they said the class and exam were pretty easy. I think they used PR.</p>
<p>Hi! Congratulations on self-studying as a freshman. I’d have to agree with manu101 – Art History is a lot of memorization. Self-study/take a class in World History, European History, or APUSH first – they mention art movements in connections with specific time periods, and that knowledge will nicely supplement Art History later on, imo.</p>
<p>Since you have more of a background in APES, definitely look at that. The thing about HG is that while it is the easiest AP, colleges don’t tend to offer credit for it! And while it does look good that you self-studied HG, it looks a little like taking the easy way out by studying a very simple AP. If or when you decide to take the HG exam, this is something to consider.</p>