To begin, I commend you for deciding to take AP US History (and recommend that you do take it if you’ve decided not to). Now, I know APUSH likely seems intimidating—at least I know I was a bit afraid—but take a breath, relax; I promise it’s not as bad as you might think. I too was anxious at first—I kid you not, I was weak in the knees stepping into that class, and not in a fun way—so I have decided to attempt to create a comprehensive guide (of basically just the three most important things to know about APUSH) to surviving and succeeding in AP US History for all future APUSHers.
- DON’T PROCRASTINATE
I have to confess…I maybe, mayhaps, might have possibly procrastinated my notes and studying…just a little bit. So, having lots of experience with the effects of procrastinating, I can confidently tell you: DON’T DO IT!!! By leaving everything to the last minute, I was constantly overwhelmed with work; consequently, I was never able to truly absorb any of the information, causing me to have to review everything days before the AP test. If you want to actually enjoy your APUSH experience, make sure you complete your notes and assignments ahead of time!
- Use resources other than the textbook
I have another confession: I opened the textbook maybe once throughout the year, and then never used it again. Coming from a retired APUSHer, don’t be like me—actually use the textbook! But also, don’t only use the textbook. While the book includes all of the information you need, because it is so dense, actually absorbing any of the knowledge becomes difficult. Personally, I relied very heavily on Hiemler’s History (the GOAT!!) all year, so I would recommend using his videos in combination with the textbook to augment your knowledge about US History.
- Pay attention to the in-class lectures
I know that listening to lectures can be boring, but Kim Kerr gives a unique perspective to a lot of historical events. Because she often introduces perspectives which diverge from the information given in the textbook, she allows students to gain a deeper understanding of the historical events. So, even though you might suffer through them a little bit (though I doubt it, because she almost always finds ways to make her lectures interesting), listen to the lectures!!!
Overall, as long as you try your best to learn the information in some way, shape, or form, you will be just fine—I pinky promise.
P.S. Compared to a lot of other AP classes, APUSH has a fairly light workload. So if you want to take, or are considering taking an AP class (which you should, because AP classes increase your knowledge, help prepare you for college, and look good on college applications), take AP US History!