<p>This year, I got placed in Hon Bio because I didn't have room in my schedule for AP Chem, my class of choice. 4 weeks in, I couldn't handle the lack of challenge or mental stimulation, so I worked out a couple of deals with my teachers and landed myself in AP Bio, doing independent studies in other subjects so that all my classes fit. </p>
<p>Now, I'm beyond overloaded. Most people at my school come into AP with a full year of Hon Bio, and the jump into that class, 4 weeks late and with no foundation class, has been challenging. The teacher is pathetic, can't express her thoughts coherently, and confuses me more everytime she opens her mouth, even when I think I grasped the material after I read the textbook. </p>
<p>And its not just Bio- the classes that I fandangled my way into doing independently are stressing me out, simply because i have no support system or basis for comparison provided by having classmates. </p>
<p>I can't switch back to my original schedule. Not only would I be disappointing/****ing off all the teachers that I convinced to let me switch in the first place, but I couldn't handle going back to Hon. Dropping Bio entirely doesn't work either b/c I need a science credit to graduate, and the rest of our science department is crap.</p>
<p>I'm failing tests and excessively worried about my grades in that class, things that I've never encountered before in high school. I'm barely scraping by with As to keep up my 4.0. So the question is- what should I do? Should I pay money and get a tutor? Are there any free services I could take advantages of? My Bio teacher has offered to provide help, but I know that she confuses me enough that I wouldn't want individual studying with her. My grades basically won't matter after fall semester, since I'm a senior and gpas stop counting. So that means I only have til the end of December to worry about Bio. But at the same time, I don't want to just "get by" in a class and never fully grasp the material. At this rate, I'm doomed to do horribly on the AP test, so I won't be taking it.</p>
<p>Buy Cliff's AP bio book and basically memorize it. Look things up in your textbook as needed. It has everything in it that you need to make a 5 without even taking a course.</p>
<p>And don't think your grades in the spring won't count. Many of our kids have acceptances from colleges with the proviso pending final grades. My D even received a letter form one college saying that she needed to keep up her grades or they could revoke her acceptance.</p>
<p>I manage As because there are enough cake grades in the grading period for me right now to balance out the tests. Plus the grade inflation is pretty nice. But she has specifically told me those will phase out as the year progresses. </p>
<p>But (and i know this sounds incredibly geeky) i don't want the A if I didn't comprehend the material. I want to get the A and understand what's being covered. </p>
<p>And evitajr, I understand what you're saying- I will try to work hard next semester through the end, but working hard and understanding are still 2 different things.</p>
<p>there isn't all that much "understanding" involved in AP bio. It's mostly memorizing. A regular textbook can be daunting because you can't tell what's important. That's why the Cliff's book is so helpful. Start with it now, and try to read it a couple of times before the end of xmas break.</p>
<p>If you are a quick learner and good at cramming, tutors can save the day--but you have to get a great one. Sometimes a tutor is the confidence booster a guy needs to face down the exams. </p>
<p>Remember this lesson when you get to college and see so many good courses in the catalogue. Your eyes really can be bigger than your stomach! Good luck!</p>
<p>Read the textbook. I used Campbell's last year, and it was a lot better than Cliffs for understanding purposes. The only problem is that you have to be willing to devote a lot of time reading it because the chapters are so long. The point is, the textbook will help you understand. Tune out the teacher if she's that bad. Also, if you really need help after reading thoroughly (and more than once if you have to), try to get someone who's taken the class and/or AP test to tutor you instead of paying for a tutor. Chances are, s/he'll be willing to do it for NHS service hours, for fun, etc.</p>
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But (and i know this sounds incredibly geeky) i don't want the A if I didn't comprehend the material. I want to get the A and understand what's being covered.
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<p>This doesn't sound geeky to me, it sounds healthy.</p>
<p>Thanks, everyone, for all your help- I really appreciate it. Hopefully I'll be able to take the advice and finally get on the right foot in class. :)</p>