Hello parents of high school Freshman. May I ask a questing about APHG VS “Pre-AP World History”. Which is the class one takes before AP World History at our school. They are both for freshman.
D21 has to pick her course selection and just from the title of APHG thinks it would be boring and Pre-AP World history seems more interesting.
What is HG about? Is it a lot of geography?
Both the preAP WH and APHG are weighted the same. so it does not matter from that point of view. Also she does not intend to take AP World History.
@BingeWatcher
APHG has some geography but not a lot, it mainly focus on where and why people settled in certain places and how and why the population expanded over time. DS says he has a lot of group projects and it’s pretty interesting. The course assumes you have basic geography knowledge like major capitals already.
Our school requires either world history or AP world history for graduation. My kids take the AP world history in 10th grade. We don’t have a pre-AP world history class. Most kids here that take AP classes take AP Human Geo in 9th grade.
If raking up AP’s is important to your kid, once the boys learned their sister earn the National AP Scholar Award in 11th grade they want to earn by then too, I’d say take the AP Human Geo class, it’s a good class to learn how to take AP tests.
DS20 is currently taking:
AP Human Geo
AP Comp Sci
pre AP Algebra 2
pre AP Chemistry (most 9th graders at our school take Bio or pre AP Bio but he took high school Bio in 8th grade)
pre AP English 1
Chinese 1
Art in Media Communications 1
The other thing to consider is the “rigor” of the classes even schools that offer merit and don’t seem too focused of course rigor there are often selective scholarships at these schools that do look the number of AP courses taken.
I’m surprised that your school weights a pre-AP class and an AP class the same.
@3scoutsmom What exactly is Pre AP Algebra 2? There isn’t a AP Algebra correct? This is all new to me since I have my first (and only) child starting in 2021. Thanks
Our school offers Pre AP Algebra 2 and regular Algebra 2 the pre-AP Algebra class moves at a much faster pace and covers more material, in some schools it might be called Honors Algebra 2 but for whatever reason our school doesn’t call anything honors. I think they call it “pre-AP” because it’s waited the same as other pre-AP courses. In our school school regular classes are weighted x 1.0, pre-AP are weighted x 1.1 and AP classes and weighted x 1.2
@3scoutsmom, our school does weight preAP, AP, Dual credit and local weighted courses all the same.
our school requires a world history, US history and US gov/econ for graduation (probably a Texas requirement).
I was planning on using ACADECA as a 4th social studies and fulfilling the world history requirement in 9th grade.
I was thinking no social study in 10th grade other than ACADECA since she will take AP Chem and I am not sure how much reading that will require. I am trying to find the right balance with a full weighted course load but not excess nightly reading.
It’s interesting how these SS sequences can vary. My D18, who attends a public school, has taken:
9 US Govt one semester, State History the other, with a Personal Finance course wedged in. This is all required.
10 AP US History
11 AP World History
11 AP Psych
My S20 goes to a small private school with no APs (yet still rigorous). Right now he’s taking US History. He’ll have lots of freedom of choice beyond that. As of now he’s planning to take World History in 10th and WWII in 11th. Only three SS credits are required. Would he be at a disadvantage with only three?
@BingeWatcher I’m a little confused if she is planning on taking World History in 9th grade why would she even consider taking Pre-AP World history at the same time?
Is ACADECA a class at your school? I thought it was an EC.
There’s not a ton of reading in AP Chem but there is a ton of MEMORIZING. DD asked me to help her study for her AP Chem exam and I could not believe the amount of stuff she had to have memorized!
@3scoutsmom, she is trying to decide between preAP world history or APHG in 9th (but which ever she picks needs to fulfill the graduation requirement of one world history. So if APHG fulfills that then that would be the best one to pick.
At our school ACADECA is a one hour weighted class that the kids take all four years. According to the district coursebook, ACADECA can fulfill the Fine Arts requirement as well as a 4th social study.
If AP chem is not too much reading, then she might could add a 10th weighted social studies class. She hates to write so any class that teaches those would FRQs would help her.
Oh, in our school APHG does not count for the World History class requirement only regular World History or AP World History will meet the graduation requirement. In our school APHG meets the geography requirement kids must either take World Geography or APHG.
Since you can take APHG instead of World History GO FOR IT! I would love to have that as an option!
Here’s DS20’s four year plan, it was approved by the GC last week and must be approved each year to be sure grades haven’t started to slip.
9th grade Currently enrolled in:
ALGEBRA 2 PREAP
AP COMPUTER SCIENCE A
AP HUMAN GEOGRAPHY
ART AND MEDIA COMMUNICATIONS 1
CHEMISTRY 1 PREAP
CHINESE 1
ENGLISH 1 PREAP
Off campus PE - Fencing (second semester)
______________________________
10th grade
Chinese 2
Pre AP Pre CAL
Pre AP English 2
AP World History
AP Chem
Comp Sci Advanced - this is an articulated class and earns DE credit
AP Physics 1&2 (taught as one class in our school)
Off campus PE - Fencing (first semester)
______________________________
11th grade
Pre AP Chinese 3
AP CAL BC
AP English 3
AP Stats
DE Am History (on-line)
AP Computer Science Principles
Comp Sci Independent Study 1
AP Physics C
--------------------------------------------------------
12th grade
AP Chinese
Multi/linear
AP English 4
Advanced Stats
AP Am Gov/ AP Eco (not sure macro or micro)
Comp Sci Independent Study 2
Intro to engineering (this may change to some other elective based on what's offered or maybe an off period)
High School classes completed prior to High School listed on transcript:
Health
Bio
Algebra 1
Geometry
Summer School DE classes:
Texas Government
Music Appreciation
Our school has 8 periods and lunch is counted as a period. Some kids skip lunch to take 8 classes, I won’t let my kids do that. Our school day runs 8:45am - 4:10pm but my kids are there at least an hour early every day for EC’s and social time and stay for EC’s several days a week. Pretty sure cheer, band and football meet before school to beat the Texas heat but don’t think we have a special PE period. Class periods 50 minutes except for 2nd period which is extend to 5 or ten minutes to cover announcement.
Our local HS has only AP Euro available to freshman and I’m wondering why they don’t have AP World History at all. I wonder who I should talk to about that.
@veehee I wouldn’t worry about the lack of AP World History colleges know what each high school offers so they won’t hold it against you for not taking a class that’s not offered. I wish there was a way around AP world history for my S20, we have no option, you must take AP World History or regular World History and in our school the better teachers teach the AP classes and students that are in the regular class really aren’t that engaged in the educational process.
Also AP World History is one that even at colleges that generally offer credit for AP classes, won’t count for college credit no matter your score. UT Dallas gives ZERO credit for it not even if you score a 5 and not even for general elective credit. I’ve even looked into seeing if he could take World History DE at our local CC but that’s not an option either.