<p>Hey guys. </p>
<p>I know AP is college level stuff but really what is it like? I might be getting European History next year but besides the hard test, what is the class like usually? Do they grade you on homework? Class behaviour?</p>
<p>Or is the whole year just about the test..?</p>
<p>Very fast-paced. Every participates in class( well, some by force).</p>
<p>In my school, AP Euro is hell. and very pointless.</p>
<p>It very much depends on the teacher. My AP Euro teacher taught it very much like a college course -- almost no required homework, pretty much optional reading, lecture style classes, and then tough tests. We also did a scholarly research paper after the AP. The class discussions were great, and the intelligence level was very high. The teacher was also a real genius (went into HS work because it paid much more than college), and taught beyond the basic test curriculum.</p>
<p>From what I've heard however, some of the AP US History teachers at my school are truly terrible. They assign voluminous and tedious homework, and teach the course at a very basic level. One has no understanding whatsoever beyond what's in the textbook. The standards for getting in are also more relaxed than for Euro, and thus the quality of the class goes down as a result. In general it's a much less enjoyable experience than AP Euro.</p>
<p>So, what I'm really trying to say is that it very much depends on the teacher and the students. If it's taught by a fantastic teacher with a selective student body, the class will be great. If it's taught by a mediocre teacher with an unmotivated student body, it'll be more tedious.</p>
<p>In any case, I highly recommend taking AP courses (especially AP Euro -- it's such an interesting and important subject) over regular courses. While some are imperfect, they are far better than the equivalent general class. And if you enjoy a subject, you'll definitely be able to tolerate a mediocre teacher.</p>
<p>The only two APs I have taken are Biology and US History. And both were complete jokes.</p>
<p>I usually don't take notes in class and I rarely have homework assigned. Class participation is not graded, so I don't bother raising my hand to contribute. </p>
<p>One thing though: get familiar with your textbook(most likely Campbell for Bio and Bailey and Kennedy for US History). I could sleep in class and go home, study the textbook for a couple hours, and get a 100 on a test the next day simply by carefully reading Campbell.</p>
<p>it all depends on your teacher/school</p>
<p>"AP can change your life. Through college-level AP courses, you enter a universe of knowledge that might otherwise remain unexplored in high school; through AP Exams, you have the opportunity to earn credit or advanced standing at most of the nation's colleges and universities." </p>
<p>But yah, it depends.</p>
<p>Not all that different from a hard-prep class... but mostly depends on the school and teacher.</p>
<p>In my school though, the last 2 months are always the official "mad-rush-to-do-as-many-practice-tests-as-humanly-possible" period.</p>
<p>AP is hell.</p>
<p>Euro is awesome!</p>
<p>I loved that class. If you love history...Euro is way more interesting than US. At the risk of sounding like Bush - wars galore!</p>
<p>I'd recommend you take it. My teacher sucked, I wasn't there half of the time (missed 14 days 2nd semester, 1 away from getting automatic F in class), but still got A and 5. If you love humanities, I'd totally recommend it. Way better than APUSH or AP Gov.</p>
<p>and if this is your first AP, study really hard, breeze the test, and then realize that AP is really not that bad (esp. if you are humanities...AP are not that bad, for me at least, except for Calc BC and Physics C....<em>shivers</em>)</p>
<p>My teacher: chapter study guides that you have to churn out, no participation, essays + tests are majority of grade. Built around test. Teacher used to be able to say nobody's failed AP Euro exam...but one guy did last year...so...</p>
<p>Ummm... really depends on the school. </p>
<p>At mine, Euro was easy as anything if you did your homework and did some of the reading. The teacher would lecture all day but he never made any sense... so if you went home and read, you did fine on the test. If you didn't read, you'd fail. Homework and projects were as big a part of the grade as tests... crazy. </p>
<p>In all of the science/math APs at my school homework is required. BUT you don't get credit for doing the work, you get credit taken away if you don't. Like if you miss an assignment(they're all collected at the end of the quarter) you get 1% deducted from your grade... pretty brutal, IMO. </p>
<p>APs that give homework are harder than college classes. No by much, but harder because you waste so much time on the homework and can't study by your own methods because the teacher tries to "guide" you.</p>
<p>AP Euro is an important subject? Haha "important" is a weird adjective to describe it. Well, for me personally, History is just something I do for fun...afterall, it's just like reading a storybook and having a test on it. I did APWH this year, and honestly, I enjoyed self-studying that and going through the Bentley book much more than any of my school classes. Next year I'm doing APUSH at school and AP Euro on my own. History is awesome to read about.</p>
<p>History is an essential resource for economics, politics, business, strategy, and law. An understanding and ability to analyze history will benefit immensely anyone in those fields. AP Euro is especially pertinent to the first two.</p>
<p>ap is a joke. it's not hard, and i don't see how it's hard. well, ok, it IS VERY VERY VERY hard, but i still think it's easy.</p>
<p>you bet ap euro is history. they carved the world.</p>
<p>Europe carved out the world? haha... maybe you mean the Middle East... lol, they should have middle east history AP too.</p>
<p>Anyways, good insight guys, I might be thinking about self studying some courses, any suggestions?</p>
<p>
[quote]
Europe carved out the world? haha... maybe you mean the Middle East...
[/quote]
</p>
<p>By the early 20th century, Europe dominated the entirety of Africa, the Middle East, and most of Asia. The United States had a significant amount of influence in Latin America, which the Europeans had previously dominated. Thus, I think it's fair to say that the European states had carved up the world, at least at that point.</p>
<p>
[quote]
I might be thinking about self studying some courses, any suggestions?
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Government and Politics and Economics are very good and fairly easy self-study choices. If you want serious preparation in them (rather than just the test-prep guide approach it seems many take here), I recommend McConnell Brue for economics and Wilson for US government. Since they're changing the comparative government curriculum, I can't necessarily recommend a single textbook, although Kesselman and Krieger is a very solid choice, as is Almond and Powell.</p>
<p>I am personally self-studying AP human geography over the summer (because it's pretty easy and I'm not going to be forsaking anything else) and am using the following books: Fellmann and Getis as my primary text, Fahrer and Glassner to supplement for political geography (a passion of mine), and Annual Editions: Geography 04/05 out of interest. I can't, however, offer any recommendations, since I have yet to actually do the course.</p>
<p>
[QUOTE]
By the early 20th century, Europe dominated the entirety of Africa, the Middle East, and most of Asia. The United States had a significant amount of influence in Latin America, which the Europeans had previously dominated. Thus, I think it's fair to say that the European states had carved up the world, at least at that point.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>My point exactly, Europeans only began to dominate after the 1600's. Yes, many contributions, but most of which would have never came if it wasn't for thier Arab and Jewish counterparts during the middle ages. Before the middle ages, Europeans were barbarians compared to Middle Eastern nations and technology.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Government and Politics and Economics are very good and fairly easy self-study choices. If you want serious preparation in them (rather than just the test-prep guide approach it seems many take here), I recommend McConnell Brue for economics and Wilson for US government. Since they're changing the comparative government curriculum, I can't necessarily recommend a single textbook, although Kesselman and Krieger is a very solid choice, as is Almond and Powell.</p>
<p>I am personally self-studying AP human geography over the summer (because it's pretty easy and I'm not going to be forsaking anything else) and am using the following books: Fellmann and Getis as my primary text, Fahrer and Glassner to supplement for political geography (a passion of mine), and Annual Editions: Geography 04/05 out of interest. I can't, however, offer any recommendations, since I have yet to actually do the course.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Good suggestions, can you give me links to all these text book companies and where I can purchase them... would Amazon.com offer them? I doubt it. :P</p>
<p>that's so fake. the europeans invented everything you use today.</p>
<p>lights.
toilet.
computer.
videogames.
tv.
etc. etc. etc.</p>
<p>when i say europe, it can be any white person.</p>
<p>you guys give so much credit to people who don't do anything.</p>
<p>your wrong there amnesia. lights, computer and videogames were not invented in europe. And no, not every white person is european. ;) Chinese are white but they are not european. ;) Those where invented by AMERICANS. </p>
<p>What I am saying is that modern europe would have never become modern for atleast another 2 centuries if it wasn't for the Jews spreading the Arabic technology throughout Europe before 1492. ;)</p>
<p>
[quote]
Good suggestions, can you give me links to all these text book companies and where I can purchase them... would Amazon.com offer them? I doubt it. :P
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com (especially the latter) usually offer almost every textbook. I've personally been able to find even the most obscure academic monographs available at Amazon. Here are links to the books I mentioned.</p>
<p>Economics</a>, 16th Edition by McConnell and Brue</p>
<p>American</a> Government, 9th Edition by Wilson and DiIulio</p>
<p>Introduction</a> to Comparative Politics by Kesselman</p>
<p>Comparative</a> Politics Today by Almond and Powell</p>
<p>Introduction</a> to Geography by Fellman and Getis</p>
<p>Political</a> Geography by Fahrer and Glassner</p>
<p>Annual</a> Editions: Geography 04/05 by Pitzl</p>
<p>I can also give you some suggestions for intermediate level comparative government textbooks if you want to go further (although it gets much more serious at that level).</p>
<p>amnesia:</p>
<p>Before the Renaissance, the European states were far behind Asian and Middle Eastern societies. They were developing advanced mathematics (algebra), astronomy, medicine, and gunpowder, for example, while the West was stagnating. Then, of course, the situation was reversed (due to a number of factors), and Europe pulled decisively ahead. A-san has an accurate point about their contributions to society, but I would also make the point that Europe has had a much more lasting and important impact on world organization and the international system.</p>