As sophomore year approaches, all freshmen face an important decision: which history class to enroll in. There’s three options that most Hayfield students choose between. There’s on level history that’s simply a continuation of world history one; there’s AP Human Geography (APHUG), which is typically referred to as an “easy AP” and focuses on how humans have interacted with the natural world around them throughout history; and lastly there’s AP World History: Modern, which is a continuation of world history one but goes into greater depth and requires critical thinking skills to write long essay questions (LEQs) and document based questions (DBQs). So which is best? This should help to make the right decision for you.
“I wanted to get an AP credit but that one was easier than AP world and I’m just not that big on history, so I went for the easier option,” sophomore Londyn Clark said.
APHUG is a history course that attracts the attention of underclass students wanting to immerse themselves in an AP course, but worry about the course load and difficulty of AP World. The course goes in depth about how humans have used, understood, and altered the surface of the earth. Some key topics include learning the techniques geographers use, migration, politics, agriculture, industrialization, urbanization, and how these topics have impacted our environment. Students will develop some analysis skills, but document analysis and writing isn’t as prevalent is this course as it is in others. It’s important to note that while many schools will accept APHUG credits (if a four or five is earned on the AP exam), top institutions such as Harvard, Brown, or MIT will not accept APHUG credits. Ultimately, in this course you will learn a lot about the world around you and how humans have interacted with it, in-depth analysis skills, time management, and a GPA boost. On the other hand, this course doesn’t translate to AP US History (APUSH) in terms of writing and course load, high ranking colleges won’t accept APHUG credits, and there’s only one teacher at Hayfield for this course, so there’s less opportunities to take this course.
Next, there’s on level history, also known as History ten. This is a continuation of the world history content that students typically learn in freshman year. The course goes over the same time periods as AP World, but doesn’t go as in-depth. The most significant difference between on level and AP history is course load. This class moves at a much slower pace as the tests are shorter, and there’s far less homework required. However, there’s no GPA boost and students don’t learn complex analysis skills or how to manage the demanding nature of an AP level course.
“It [AP World] definitely prepared me for APUSH, my teacher said it will be with the workload, just studying wise, and for writing,” sophomore Julia Schoennauer said. “I think it also helps with AP English classes because you worked better during timed writing.”
The last and most popular option is AP World History. This class discusses events occurring globally from 1200 to the present in far greater detail than on level history. This is typically the first AP course high school students take and teachers will help you adjust to the shift in both workload and test difficulty. The course includes nine unit tests and an AP exam at the end of the year. Students will take unit tests as well as writing tests. These could be LEQs or DBQs. The hardest adjustment in this course is that the tests focus on applying your knowledge as opposed to solely memorizing facts. It’s not uncommon for students to struggle at the start of the year and start to see improvements as the class continues. AP World is an adjustment, but it’s necessary for students to succeed in future AP courses. This class offers a GPA boost, teaches advanced analysis skills, and a four or five on the AP exam is almost always accepted for college credit. However, the class is very fast paced and the workload will require a lot of time outside of class.
Ultimately, AP world will be the most beneficial class in the long run. Many students struggle at first, but it’s essential that they stick with it and aren’t discouraged by a couple sub par test scores. Students will eventually have to adjust to the demands of an AP level course whether that may be in high school or when they go to college. It’s important to consider all of these options and make the correct decision for yourself.
