<p>First, calm down. If you psych yourself out over the course, you’ll just do worse. At my school, US History has a reputation for being awful, but if you don’t freak out about the course and don’t blow it off, you’ll do fine.</p>
<p>Similarly, if the course is that difficult, you’ll be well prepared for college writing. Receiving a mediocre grade now but learning how to write is better than coasting through the course now and entering college with no real idea of what is expected.</p>
<p>When you read, think about what you’re reading - put aside more time for this course than you would for others. The more you’ve thought about what’s going on, the easier timed writing is, since you’d need less time to collect and organize your thoughts. The amount of required reading may be a challenge if it’s high, so keep that in mind.</p>
<p>If it would comfort you some, pick up one of the books in this thread (<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/high-school-life/743246-how-many-classics-do-you-read-english-literature.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/high-school-life/743246-how-many-classics-do-you-read-english-literature.html</a>) and practice some - read at a decent pace, think it through, see what you might discuss in class, then write about it. You might see if it applies to any of the older online free-response questions from the AP English Language or AP English Lit exams. Try answering the question as well as you can in a time limit similar to what you’d have on a test. Then read it over and see where it needs improvement. Have a parent read it over and see what they think. Best of luck!</p>