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@yeona4e
2 answers, 37 votes
 • 3 years ago •
Admissions Advice

Should I take AP World History?
Answered

All the sophomores at my school are warning us to stay away from APWH. I know that it's a difficult class and history isn't my strongest subject. I'm afraid that it'll weigh down my GPA, but I don't want to take academic history either.

apworldhistorymodern
AP
6
12

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4 answers

1
Accepted Answer
@amallios
69 answers, 315 votes
 • 3 years ago

Hi!

I'm in AP World History right now and, even though history is one of my worst subjects, the class isn't extremely hard to manage, it just gets hard about two weeks before unit tests when you have to study. In APWH you learn completely independently. Each week, you'll have to read around 20 textbook pages and memorize continuities, comparisons, discontinuities, etc., not specific dates or people. In class, you will apply your knowledge and gain critical thinking skills. (at least this is how my school does it)

Even so, this really varies depending on your school. If students in your school tell you to stay away from the class, it might be good to consider. If it is the teacher, then this could influence the class experience dramatically. However, maybe many students simply don't like putting in the work. I would, if you haven't already, ask sophomores exactly why the class is so difficult. If it is because of the teacher or something else really important, I would take the on-level world history class and try to fit in another AP that aligns with your interests. If you could tell me what subjects you enjoy, I could easily recommend AP classes that you could take.

Hope this helps!

1
[🎤 AUTHOR]@yeona4e3 years ago [edited]

Thank you for your answer! I think it might just be that people don't want to put the work in, but even the harder-working students say that the class is difficult. Are you finding APWH ok to manage? Also: I want to go into pre-med so I'll probably lean towards AP sciences, but for sophomore year, the only AP's I'm allowed to take are APWH and AP Bio.

@amallios3 years ago

Then I would definitely take it! Really, the only work you have to do is textbook reading, which could take around five hours per week. You will have projects but they aren’t too bad. If your teacher offers any opportunities for extra credit throughout the year, take each one. I also recommend studying for unit tests a week or a week and a half beforehand. Make sure to practice multiple choice questions as they don’t really test your knowledge of history and more so your reasoning.

@amallios3 years ago

Also, remember that for most students at your school, APWH could be their first AP, so it is normal that they may find the class difficult. Just try your best and remember that getting a B in an AP is better than an A in an on-level class. I have a high A at the moment, but I put a lot of work into the class. It shouldn’t be too hard for you as long as you are ready to set aside an hour per day after school just for the class.

@amallios3 years ago

But if it is the night before a big AP test and you have to choose between APWH or AP Bio to study for, choose AP bio. If you want to go into pre-med, colleges will expect your better grades to be in science, math, and even psychology courses (depending your area of medical study). A B in a history course won’t stray from your medical narrative. Also remember that your weighted GPA (even if your school doesn’t calculate it, colleges will) won’t drop too much if you get a B in APWH.

0
@bperdomo
1 answer, 0 votes
 • 3 years ago

I would definitely take AP World History! I'm a junior now and when I was a freshman all of my friends warned me to stay away from it, but I'm so glad I didn't. Even though the beginning of the year was tough for me with trying to figure out how the class operated, I really am glad I took the class. It's so worth it to have an AP under your belt after sophomore year, and the class is really interesting!

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@_erudi
3 answers, 1 vote
 • 3 years ago

I’m taking AP World currently and all i suggest is finding out who your AP World teacher might be, and asking students who have that teacher if they would suggest it or not. With AP classes, it all comes down to the teachers. For me personally, AP World is not hard at all. You just need to study, be organized, and pay attention. (there’s also a lot of writing). However, I’m cruising through AP World with an A because i have a VERY lenient teacher. So teachers are CRITICAL when participating in AP classes. As far as the coursework, as long as you organize your topics by dates, take good notes, and practice your writing, You’ll be fine!

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@bobcer21
1 answer, 0 votes
 • 3 years ago

I'm currently in APWH and I'm finding it decent to manage as long as you keep up with the reading our teacher assigns, it also lays the groundwork if you want to take other AP social studies classes in the future.

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