Seriously though is APUSH worth taking? I hate history I mean hate it with a passion. I’m not fascinated or intrigued by it whatsoever. I’m a science oriented person so I find the math and sciences more easier for me to comprehend and execute. I’m fine in English for the most part and I am awful at history. I never got above a 75 on a test in my AP World History class I am taking right now. In fact, the only reason I have such a high average is because of all the projects we have to work on and the extreme generosity of my teacher. My schedule for next year is:
- AP Chem
- AP Physics 1
- Clinical Rotation (a community college course that we can take at school to shadow current people with medical careers)
- US History (honors or AP)
- Study Hall
- AP Language and Conposition
- Honors Precalculus
I have a pretty moderately difficult schedule and I still have other extracurriculars I’m going to be heavily involved in with so this is a rough summary of what the basis for my schedule is like.
So should I take this class or just take regulars and focus on other important things like the SAT and my other workload of class I have or just do AP and fret about that too?
If I make a good score on World History AP Test can it suffice for the gen ed US history requirement? I want to go to Rice university and be involved with the medical career. I know US History is a general requirement at most if not all colleges in the US so the million dollar question is should I take it now or worry about it later? And is study hall helpful?
P.S If you are curious I have a 3.625 GPA (81/718)
Why would you even consider taking an advanced history class if you hate history? AP classes are for students who have a deep interest in the subject matter and want acceleration.
They’re also for college credit and to improve you’re abilities. I was hoping that if I take APUSH it could give me an edge in college admissions and test me out of the gen ed class. But apparently I don’t think I have that much time to do well in the class, let alone have the enthusiasm.
APUSH has a lot to do with memorizing tedious facts, details, and dates. If you’re up for that in addition to all of your other advanced classes, go for it. However, I wouldn’t recommend it, as it may bring your GPA down. You also aren’t even interested in history as a major, so I don’t think you should stress yourself out in high school over an AP history class.
I’d focus on the courses you find valuable.
Your schedule already seems very rigorous, and APUSH has a ~50/50 pass rate, and it really is a lot of work. I’m in the class right now, and the only class that is vying for my attention is Honors Chem–APUSH gets you to delve in further and further within time period, events, themes, etc. You also mentioned you “hate it [history] with a passion”, and that you “are awful at history”. AP Chem is known to be one of the hardest APs, even if you are just limiting it to the sciences. I apologize if I sounded really strict and enforcing, I just really wouldn’t take APUSH if I were you in this situation.
The AP World History exam wouldn’t cover the US History requirement, I’m pretty sure you would have to take APUSH and get a 4 or 5 on the exam. However, seeing as you hate history and your schedule is packed with AP classes as it is, I think Honors US History is the better choice for you.
Yes. Thanks you guys. But the only history class at my school besides APUSH is regulars US history. I’m just really worried about the type of what atmosphere I would be in if I took regulars.
You would definitely be respected and considered intelligent.
I’d approach it like you would any class. I took a lot of regular classes last year and there were kids who would always ask for answers and slack off in group assignments much more often than in honors, which sucked, but there are also a lot of kids who don’t act much differently than the ones in honors or AP classes. Plus the atmosphere was always pretty relaxed, since the teacher didn’t have to make things extra rigorous or prepare for AP exams. It’s nice to have a breather class where you don’t have to worry about much.
Even if you don’t like the class, I would take APUSH just to be the most competitive.
I disagree with the above posters. You will most likely have to take an intro US history course in college. Why not knock it out now instead of pay money later to take a class you hate?
The APUSH curriculum was recently changed so it’s less of a decade-per-week slog of factoids than in the past, but, if it is not your main interest why put yourself through it? I think most colleges only give one semester’s advanced standing for it anyway. You have an extremely impressive line up of classes, I think a weak grade in APUSH would only dilute your candidacy.
Don’t take it. Focus on what you like. Make the extra effort there. And if you do have to take a History class in college, maybe you’ll be able to find one that actually interests you.
If you don’t like history, don’t take it.
Thanks for everyone for commenting on this thread it was really thoughtful of you to give up your time just to answer my questions. I honestly didn’t expect this thread to be getting so much feedback.