As AP exam season approaches us, many freshmen at Green Level find themselves navigating unfamiliar territory, preparing for their very first Advanced Placement exam. Unlike upperclassmen who often have experience with AP courses and strategies, freshmen are diving into the process for the first time.
Currently, the only AP course offered to ninth graders is AP World History: Modern. While some may view this as just an introductory AP class, many students and educators recognize this as one of the most content heavy and rigorous courses in the entire AP catalog.
As the exam takes place on May 8th, students are already beginning to prepare. Freshman Katie Hummel was enrolled in AP World History in the first semester, and it definitely was definitely a completely new environment.
“At first it was definitely overwhelming. It got better overtime, but the readings were still very long, and the writing expectations were much higher than anything I had ever done before. The quizzes were also just so intense and difficult.” Says Katie.
Due to these challenges, Hummel is already beginning to study for the exam come May.
Hummel explains, “I’ve started reviewing the main concepts in each unit, especially with the help of online videos and practice questions. I’ve also been going through my old notes and rewriting them to retain the information.”
Another freshman who was in the class in the fall semester is Saanvi Jain, who is also preparing in various ways.
“I’ve been going to after school tutor sessions in order to relearn the units. I’ve also used online resources and AP Classroom for practice exams and exercises. My main goal is just to go in knowing I prepared myself enough for the exam and knowing I could say I tried my hardest on it.”
For many freshmen, the course is more than just a history class, it’s their first real taste of what college-level classwork feels like, and how to deal with the pressure to perform well on the AP exam. For those who embrace the challenge, the rewards go far beyond just a test score.
