Hello! I’m a newcomer to CC and am looking for some advice!
I’m looking to spend some time over the summer to get a head start on next year. My GPA is bad and I’m really willing to do whatever it takes to get a 4.0 this year, even if that means studying intensely over the summer.
This year, I found myself drowning in work, so I think getting a head start might be nice.
I go to a competitive high school where all the teachers give very difficult tests. Here are the courses I’d like to start prepping for:
AP Human Geography (notoriously difficult at my school)
AP Calc AB
AP Computer Science
AP Biology
Although I’m participating in an internship and some other cool extracurriculars over this summer, I’m hoping to spend a solid 4 hours a day to work on academics. I’d really appreciate any advice on how to get a head start: What makes these courses difficult and how can I prepare for them? What should I study, and how?
If you were “drowning in work” last year and feel you need to start working over the summer to be able to manage your senior year classes, I think you really need to consider if you have taken on too difficult a schedule for next year.
@happy1 Thanks for your advice! I actually have considered taking a lighter course load. I’m fact, I took some regular courses last year instead of AP. But the thing is, I ended up really disliking them, and much prefer the AP/honors classes because they are more interesting and the teachers are more engaging.
I don’t know if this is the “wrong” attitude to have in high school but I’d rather put in a bit more sweat, or get a B or B+ in an advanced course and learn more and possibly get credit for it. I’m just looking for ways to get a head start, avoid the “summer slide”, and make sure I can do well in the courses next year
AP Computer Science is the only class I see there that I’ve taken, and to be honest it was probably my easiest class and exam but I also had a huge background in math, logic, problem-solving, and programming prior. If you don’t have that, I would suggest you start practicing on sites like codechef and others, as well as look into getting the Barron’s book or some other test prep book and get yourself familiar with the basics of Java. If you’re really feeling daring, you can try to comprehend stuff like recursion, polymorphism, and other harder stuff on your own before the school year and then the class might really be a breeze. (This all assumes you’re referring to AP Comp Sci A, btw. Principles is a completely different class). Best of Luck!
You should have strong prerequisites for the classes. For Calc AB, you need to master pre-calc topics and trigonometry. For CS, learn some programming and read a book on how the computer works and find fun in it (you can google online too). For the other classes you need to train yourself in critical reading. You don’t need to read the textbooks for the AP classes during the summer. I think taking 4 APs is a stretch if you have not taken at least 2 APs in the previous year.
There is no need to study before the classes start. You don’t know what you will be doing in class. You go to class to learn, and you are tested over what you learn in class. If you need to study over the summer maybe you should consider dropping down to lower level classes.