I am currently taking APEC and it’s kicking my ass right now. History isn’t for me but I wanted to try an AP class this year. I know that taking more AP classes look better for colleges but I’m only looking to go to UCI, SDSU or Cal State and to major in nursing. I’m definitely taking AP classes in science as it corresponds with nursing but history classes don’t. APEC is hard right now but if I take APUSH I’ll definitely have an easier time because I already took APEC and students who have taken APUSH said I should do it. So I’m conflicted.
Pros:
looks better for college
it’s easier bc I took APEC
most of my friends will take it
my school is switching to a block schedule next year so APUSH will only be half a year
US History will be more familiar
Cons:
lots of notes
lots of stress
I would struggle bc I’m not that good at history
it isn’t relevant for my major
I will regret not taking it at some point
What’s APEC?
If you’re switching to block schedule then you’ll have to cover more info in a shorter amount of time and if you have APUSH first semester you’ll have to review all the material by yourself for the AP test.
If you don’t like the subject matter that is going to make you less motivated to do the work which will hurt your grade. AP classes are not worth taking if you fail.
Are there any other AP classes you can take next year?
AP English Composition. It may be worth it. I saw some post on here a loooooooong time ago that said something along the lines of “all students motivated and able should take APELC, APUSH, AP Calc BC, and an AP science other than Bio or ES” for reasons that I’ll try to find.
AP Euro is considered the hardest AP history, if you do well in the class and are fairly interested in US history then you can probably do well in APUSH.
I took APUSH las year. I honestly hated all the work but the class taught me a lot about history, and a lot about myself. I did poorly on the AP exam regardless of having a great teacher, and I still don’t regret taking the course. I learned that I can handle a big work load. I suggest you definitely sign up for the course just so you feel more college ready afterwards. I have done college courses throughout high school but I doubt any of them will prepare me for college as much as my APUSH class did!
It all depends on the teacher you’ll have and how much depth you’d like in your curriculum. I was unfortunate enough to get a first-year APUSH teacher, and even though I made an A in the class, I absolutely despised it. There was no depth, no time to discuss topics that shaped our history, and he was learning APUSH at the same time we were. The regular US History class next door spent two weeks going over WWII, from battles to important figures to the impact it had on society as a whole. We spent three days on the entire war due to the pacing guide (one chapter per week) and still never got farther than the Cuban Missile Crisis before spring exams.
Being a huge history fan, I was utterly dissappointed in what we had learned and only scored a 3 on the AP Exam, which didn’t get me credit at the college I’m attending and thus making the class utterly worthless.
Only thing I learned was how to write a complete essay in 45 minutes, which IS a good skill to have for college.
Bottom line: take what interests you, look into who’s teaching it, and don’t overburden yourself. This goes for any AP class. You should be fine :-bd