I’m a freshman and It’s almost time for me to choose my courses for next year and I’m wondering if I should take APUSH or HUSH. APUSH is the hardest class offered at my school, or at least the one I hear the most horror stories about. Apparently, no one in that class has a grade higher than a B. It’s the only AP class that is being offered to me for next year. I am currently taking all honors and have A’s in them. I’m not really interested in history but I do enjoy writing essays relating to it. I plan on majoring in biology and/or going to a selective school so would taking the class be of any use to me? I’m so conflicted. Please, help me decide. Thank you!
If you’re getting all As right now, it’s time to try and challenge yourself. APUSH is hard, especially if it’s a sophomore class at your school (it often is a junior class) and without the benefit of easing into it from AP HUMAN GEO but if that’s your one AP and you’re taking honors English, honors math, honors science and honors foreign language+ one elective such as music or art… It would be fine. In particular, selective colleges will want to see that you took the challenging class when it was offered - they want you to rise to the challenge, too, and do well, because if you can’t do that how will you step up to their much harder classes?
The hardest AP History class is normally the first AP History class that a student takes.
If your concern is the workload, talk to the teacher who teaches the class, to students who have taken the class, and to your guidance counselor.
Find out what the deadlines are to drop the class without it showing on your transcript, without a W or any other penalty. That will let you give it a try at least.
It is a tough class in our school, but mostly because it is two hours of busy work each night (YMMV). The kids who have taken it at DD’s high school all say they enjoyed it, and got a lot out of it. It taught them study skills and writing skills in addition to history, any of which skills can be useful in college.
What is the normal progression in your HS?
Colleges care more that you got an A in APUSH (and a 5 on the test) even if you took it as a junior than you got a B and took it as a sophomore.
Go with the normal progression and do well
APUSH is a common typical class for qualified 10th graders where I live (everyone takes US HIstory 1 cp or honors in 9th)- and juniors all take a version of world history so it really depends on your school.
If it is the normal progression in your school and your qualified it is fine to take. If your on the fence in terms of either interest or ability talk to both the APUSH and Honors history teacher to get a feel for the similarities and differences, work loads etc and make an educated decision not just based on students.
At our school it’s the standard honors Junior year courses, after AP World as a Sophomore.
As a Soph it sounds like it would be quite a challenge.
(Fwiw, if APWorld is my D’s hardest AP History course, she’s in very good shape. Somehow I doubt it)
It’s the normal progression at my school
Thank you all for the replies!