So...AP Psychology self study...good idea?

<p>I'm currently a junior interested in becoming a psychologist. Although this interest COULD change in the future, my choice in this field is pretty much established. </p>

<p>Anyway, I have to go to another school next year because my base is closing. The problem is, they don't offer AP Psychology over at the school I'm planning to attend. I have checked multiple times just to make sure my information was incorrect; however, the school really doesn't offer that class. I was planning to self-study for the class using a purchased, used textbook and a Barrons crack book during the summer and throughout the school year. </p>

<p>I have asked (and observed) the few people I know currently taking this class, and they always seem to complain about the workload and the amount of vocab words they have to memorize. The workload is probably because of the teacher, but I'm pretty sure this course requires you to memorize and understand a lot of vocab words in order to pass the ap exam.</p>

<p>So, is self-studying for ap psychology a good idea? If you've actually taken this course in an actual classroom, your input would be greatly appreciated. I would like to know the amount of workload for this course, as well as your experiences.</p>

<p>Self-studying doesn’t actually require as much work as they make you do in a classroom. If you like the subject, it’s not bad at all. There are tons of Internet resources like college lectures you could use - if you have a lot of time, I’d recommend trying to learn it for real instead of relying too much on a prep book.</p>

<p>It is very, very easy to study for the AP Psych exam.
I self-studied my sophomore year using only Barron’s Prep Book and making my own flashcards.
I also utilized cram packets towards the end of April, which can be found if you search CC threads.
I highly recommend it, especially if you want to become a psychologist!</p>

<p>I wouldn’t do it, with hindsight. I’m taking AP Psych in school right now. There’s a LOT of terms and concepts to memorize, you need to have someone do it with you. This doesn’t necessarily mean you need to take the course in a classroom- perhaps a friend will be willing to self study with you?</p>

<p>AP Psych is doable if you can put in the effort to study. I would say it’s on about the same level of studying as AP Bio was before they made the changes this year.</p>

<p>Still, I would only do it if it would either a) contribute for an AP Scholar award of some sort or b) if there’s a good chance you’ll be getting AP credit for this exam</p>

<p>I honestly don’t think AP Psych was bad. I tried self-studying AP Bio this year and it failed miserably. Psych is seriously manageable, and this is coming from someone who has already self-studied it. Again, I repeat that I only used the Barron’s Prep book. I read the entire thing and did the quizzes at the end of each section. I only took one practice test. Then I made my own flashcards and studied from those. I crammed a lot of studying towards the end and I still managed to get a 5, so I think you’ll be fine. I also loved the subject, it was interesting enough that I didn’t feel like I had to force myself to study.</p>