Time Management? --- 3 AP Classes...

Test Preparation AP Test Preparation
1

<p>I know 3 AP classes may not seem much to some people, but to me, it's alot. And it takes alot of time.</p>

<p>For the past week (first week of my junior of h.s.) I've been going to bed past 11/12 midnight. My friends who also have the same 3 ap classes also have been going to bed during that time. And, one of my friends got sick because of overwork(study)ing. I'm okay, apart from ubder sleepiness.</p>

<p>So far, it's sooo difficult! And all three ap teachers say it's going to get harder with MORE chapters to read everyday.</p>

<p>How will I handle it?</p>

<p>It takes me already, HOURS to read/take notes for AP USH. Then APUSH homework. And I still need to make time to read my AP BIO book and homework. Not to mention AP English! And Precal on top of that.</p>

<p>This is very close to borderline-of-suicide. T______T</p>

<p>As for studying, I'm still testing out ways I could study bettter. Studying Smart. Last year, during my APWH, it was my teacher's first year teaching so basically...just about everyone failed the exam <em>cough</em> including me--despite myself reading princeton and most of the chapters. So any studying tips would be great. Just reading the chapter once dosen't cut it for me... =[ I guess this is where "everyone's studying ways are different" comes into p lay...</p>

<p>If anyone can offer tips of better time management, it'd be great.</p>

<p>My parents are starting to worry because as soon as I get home from school, i'm in my study room, studying for hours...</p>

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<p>First things first. YOu are to be commended on taking on such a challenging courseload for your junior year. From your post, I gather that you are taking AP Bio, AP U.S. History, and AP english language. First of all, you need to figure what you are best at (and worst at) so that you can effectively manage your studing better. I was a sophomore last year, and most of my time went to AP world history (lots to memorize) and pre calculus (I am not a math whiz.........) It sounds like you need to make a lot of time to memorize things. Therefore, AP U.S. probably needs a lot of time devoted to it. AP bio is a lot of memorization but is a bit trickier becauseyou must apply concepts. AP english is one class where simply reading good literature and writing more often will help you. I know for my precal class, I was studying every night because the tests were so hard. Find the schedule that works for you, thats the most important thing.</p>

3

<p>Oh yeah I have similar schedule: APUSH, AP Lang and Comp, AP Stat, and AP Chemistry. All on top of honors PreCalc. </p>

<p>Well...to be honest, the only reason why I didn't do AP Bio this year (despite the fact that I absolutely LOVE Bio) is because I didn't want to have it on top of APUSH. Both require an unbelievable amount of memorization, and it's not worth it. Have you considered changing it to AP Chem? If you are a junior you can always take AP Bio senior year. Although that may be difficult since you didn't do the summer work for Chem, so i don't know.</p>

<p>APUSH is killer. But don't drop it. Here's something for you to consider: I spent an entire week reading 10 pages, took about 13 pages of notes, and that's out of 120 pages. APUSH is hard, and the material takes forever to sink in. But my older friends said that it gets easier toward the end (which doesn't help much). For me, that will be the most challenging course too, so you are not alone. </p>

<p>My advice is that if you really can't handle it, drop one class. (My suggestion is Bio, in your case, but again, judge for yourself since i don't know your circumstance). I myself might drop Stat because I don't think I'd enjoy the memorization that comes along with it on top of APUSH. </p>

<p>As for time management, are you good at it? Here's how I do it. And if you have Microsoft Office One Note, that will make it a hell lot easier. Just create one section/note for each class, and type what you need to do each night/week (use that to do box thing), and check off as you go along. Really helps me looking at the greater perspective and balance the time i spend in each subject. Also, have daily goals for your self, and meet them. But don't make them impossible because that will just lower your self-esteem and that is BAD. </p>

<p>As for study tips...I understand that not all teachers teach for the test, but pay attention in class and really concentrate. For APUSH, text book is your best bet, and get other prep books. For AP Lang, read, A LOT. Also write a lot. For AP Bio...well, you gotta be interested in the subject.</p>

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<p>All those APs require time, so there isn't much you can do. They all require extensive reading. It feels like a lot now, but as you do it more, you will learn to read faster and take notes faster. But you should get used to staying up late, because you will need to for senior year and for college.</p>

<p>I had a more difficult junior and I managed through it. I had AP Calc AB & BC, AP Comp Sci AB, AP Environmental Sci., APUSH, AP Lang, and honors physics. I got through it by good procrastination skills. Instead of doing the work before hand and staying up till 12 every night, I wait till the last day and I stay up till 2-3 2-3 times a week. I don't suggest you do that though.
You just have to learn what you are good at and do that the least. English does not need as much reading/note taking as the others, so spend less time on that. And spend more time working during class. I know I didn't do anything during class, and I regretted it sometimes.</p>

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<p>I was in 3 AP classes and 2 Honors classes in my senior year, I didn't find it hard at all.</p>

<p>It was a lot of work of course, I was studying/cramming before every exam and such, but I didn't find it too much.</p>

<p>In fact I'm one of the least people I know who study. I'm always outside chilling with friends who go to less rigorous schools, and I only cram the nights before exams and such, because usually understanding the material is the key to doing well.</p>

<p>You understand it = you can cram all the terms the night before.</p>

<p>Ended up with an A+ A A A- B+, which is awesome for how little I studied, and got 5 5 4 on my AP's. (AP's were chem/calc/eco, Honors were Physics/english)</p>

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<p>i have 3 APs 2 Honors and Photography and im not feeling anything yet. well yeah i stood up till 1 in the morning trying to study for an APUSH exam and thats it. the homework is actually less then last year. however, the classwork is really difficult.</p>

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<p>To start out, I'd like to thank you all for your feedback. I feel alittle better, knowing that there are many others who feel the same way or even are taking more classes than I am.</p>

<p>I don't want to drop any of my classes. What else would I take? Missing one week of a class could be alot of material. I want to push myself and hopefully improve on my studying skills to succeed in the class. It's just that I worry that I might get a B in the class because I've heard it was soo difficult to pass AP USH class that if you pass the class with an A, you definetly pass the AP exam with a 5, or a 4.</p>

<p>Theres a APUSH textbook we're reading and theres no outline provided online--which means MORE time spent on taking notes.
It's Boyer's The Enduring Vision; fifth edition. If anyone had notes (OUTLINE) for each chapter or know where to get them, it'd be great.</p>

<p>Good luck to everyone!! ^^</p>

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<p>Use your weekends. Ask your teacher for APUSH/math what she/he will teach and then teach yourself early. It helps.</p>

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<p>Well, don't waste time feeling sorry for yourself. Go in with a good attitude about it. I took 10 APs in high school (while juggling many ECs), and it wasn't hard to manage my schedule...unless I complained. Then it felt pretty miserable and overwhelming.</p>

<p>Lose a little sleep, use a few lunch periods, and tell yourself you can do it. You'll pull through.</p>

<p>Prep books might help if you have trouble reading long chapters. I really liked Kaplan for APUSH--it was clear and concise (a lot of people recommend AMSCO, though). Cliffs is good for AP Bio. REA for AP lit.</p>

<p>Good luck.</p>

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<p>Last year (sophomore year) i took two AP classes and i play 3 sports so i would get home at around 6:30-7:45 depending on the sport and i would go to sleep at around 1-2 most days. It wasnt really because it was so much work but more because im the worst procrastinator and i just dont feel like doing hw right after coming home from practice so i would just talk to my friends and watch tv from when i got home till about 10 or 11 and then start my hw. What i did though was some days when i didnt have that much hw i would get home from practice and just collapse and go to sleep till the morning. This helped a lot and it got me the sleep that i missed. As for the homework i would just get ready quicker then start some, then do some on the way there, do some in homeroom, do some in some of my classes, and if need be then i would do some during lunch, and i ended up finishing all of my homework</p>

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<p>I took 5 APs junior year + 1 sport. True, I ended up staying till 4AM before APUSH tests and sometimes doing Physics homework, but that's because like Lightzout, I didn't feel like doing homework right after coming home at 5 or 6PM. I usually start at 10PM. It takes me that long because I'm kind of a perfectionist (not recommanded...)</p>

<p>Ended up with a A+, A+, A, A, A- without the AP points added in. Got high scores on the test for all of them.</p>

<p>The important thing of course is not to procrastinate like I did, but if you can't do that, it IS possible to survive a whole year with 4 hours of sleep on weekdays. Except you would get really grumpy and don't feel like talking to anyone the whole school year.</p>

<p>For APUSH, get a good review book and in case you didn't finish reading the book before test days, you can still go over the review book. I didn't use any prep books last year for all my classes, and I kind of regret it. It is so much easier with pre-made notes.</p>

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<p>Last year I took 2 AP classes (Bio and World History) as a sophomore, and I studied for both classes completely differently.
For World History, I would spend about 5-6 hours reading every chapter and typing extensive notes on each chapter. And then the day of the test, reviewing them in all my other classes so the information was fresh in my mind for the test. And though I always did well on the tests, when AP exams came around, I didn't really feel like I knew the information, so I had to cram a TON. And cramming really does work....but its extremly stressful. I still ended up with a 5 and an 800 on my SAT but I think my Bio method was better.
For AP Bio, I forced myself to read a chapter a week, even though we only had tests like every 3-4 weeks (usually over 4 chapters), so that way I never had to cram. I made absolutely sure that I really understood the material as I read it. I still spent about 6-8 hours on every chapter and typed about 7 pages of notes/chapter, but I really felt like I really understood it. And after I read the chapter, I would go to my book's website where they had all sorts of extra stuff likes animations, videos, interactive online labs, and quizzes that really reinforced the stuff. And the final thing was I always made sure to read the chapter BEFORE we went over it in class so instead of feeling lost as my teacher explained it and class time being absolutely pointless, the class really reinforced the information.
And when AP time came around, I barely had to study because since I had focused on understanding the information rather than just memorizing it for one test, I still remembered everything perfectly. (I got a 5 and a 790).</p>

<p>So, even though I still did well in both subjects, I still feel like I learnt Biology much more thoroughly and that I could face the AP exam confidently and with little stress.</p>

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<p>I'm pretty much diving in head first to AP classes this year. Within the past two years, I've taken two AP classes, Human Geography and World History (by the same teacher). This year, I'm going to be taking 5 AP classes (Psych, English Lang, Stats, Bio, and US History). It'll be insane, but I like to work hard so I won't mind.</p>

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<p>5 APs (+1 self study), and I still managed to play around 2-3 hours of WoW and making all As and all 5s...</p>

<p>and yes, I did pre-study during the summer (pick up PR or Kaplan book, and read it through, it helps ALOT, even if you don't understand the material)</p>

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<p>Do you have a study period during the school day? If not, can you change your schedule at all to get one?</p>

<p>Last year, I took 3 APs (bio, calc AB, and English lit.) and I did a lot of the homework, especially English, during my study period.</p>

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<p>Do you have to take an AP course at school to be able to take the ap exam or can you self study and take one as well?</p>

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<p>@ Star: i don’t know if this will help but maybe you can do some of your homework at lunch (probably the easier ones) and then the hard ones at home. If not you can do the easier ones first then the hard ones at home. Both ways really helped me but i just didn’t really use the first one until towards my APUSH and AP comp tests.</p>

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<p>Well, i’m about to take 3 ap classes my senior year and i’m not so sure if that’s a good idea. I don’t mind taking them because i like to challenge myself but there’s also senior stuff that needs to be done and also time to be spent with family and friends. Still, should i bail out of one of them or two? By the way, i’m going to take ap econ, ap lit, and ap gov.</p>

<p>I also worry about time since i also don’t go to sleep until past 12 midnight. I even have to continue or finish some homework the next morning.</p>

<p>So, is it a good idea?</p>

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<p>@n0baik01: You can self-study for an exam if you want to. See the stickied thread about it. If your AP coordinator doesn’t like it or won’t offer an exam to you, then try going to another school to take the exam.</p>

<p>@timelocket: You should be fine; AP Lit is probably the only really demanding course out of the three you’re taking. How many AP classes did you take last year?</p>

<p>@everyone: I’m going into my junior year, taking four AP classes (USH, Stats, Chem, and Music), two of which are the hardest classes in my school, and self-studying for at least 6 more AP exams. I highly recommend reading [Study</a> Hacks<a href=“you%20probably%20want%20to%20use%20%5Burl=http://calnewport.com/blog/2009/03/09/the-straight-a-method-how-to-ace-college-courses/]this%20post[/url]%20as%20a%20starting%20point”>/url</a> and the author’s book [url=<a href=“http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0767922719?ie=UTF8&tag=stuhac-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0767922719]How”>http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0767922719?ie=UTF8&tag=stuhac-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0767922719]How</a> to Become a Straight-A Student](<a href=“http://calnewport.com/blog/]Study”>Study Hacks - Decoding Patterns of Success - Cal Newport) for tips on time management and studying for college-level courses in general.</p>

<p>(No, I’m not Cal Newport, though I wish I were, and I’m not being paid to advertise. After using his strategies, though, I went from a 3.0 in middle school to a 4.0 my freshman year. So I’m fairly convinced of the validity of his methods.)</p>

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<p>Over my Junior and Senior year, (just graduated), i took a combined total of 7 AP tests, and pursued a full IB diploma. Junior year: AP/IB Spanish, IB Math SL, AP Euro, AP Physics, AP English, US Gov/IB TOK (half year courses), Band, Photo. Senior Year: IB TOK/Orchestra (again, half year), IB English, AP Calculus, AP/IB Music, AP/IB Geography, IB Physics (2 periods), free period. Still not sure how i pulled it off, thinking back on it, i must have been suicidal… </p>

<p>General Advice to anyone wading into AP: If you want to take 3 or more AP classes, time management is a must. I actually did better my senior year than my junior year, even though i had a larger workload, because i got better about procrastination. I was the type of person who would spend the time after school playing video games, then do all of my homework at night. At some times, i would do my homework during school because i hadn’t finished it the night before, needing sleep. Bad Idea, try to get your homework done before you go to school. Be prepared to sacrifice sleep, but set a limit for yourself. Say, for example, no less than 5 hours. I’ve had friends run on 2 hours of sleep in 48 hours and they are wrecked during school. Don’t do that to yourself, know your limits, and respect them. If you can run on less sleep, fine, but too little, and it’ll inhibit your productive capabilities and learning ability. Set schedules for completing certain assignments, and live by them.</p>

<p>The big worry about taking lots of AP classes is that it takes away from social life. Well, i can’t say much about that since i didn’t have too much of a social life, but since I had time to play video games after school with that workload, i think it should be fine with time management. To anyone entering the dominion of AP and IB, good luck and have fun :)</p>

<p>EDIT: Oh dear, noticed that the thread is almost 2 years old. Ah well, the advice still applies to next years juniors/senior.</p>