Freshman year I remember me talking to my parents about my classes next year and about AP World History. My mom didn't know exactly how it was going to be as an AP class and my dad just suggesting that I was very smart and that it should go well in that class, so I decided to take the challenge and the class. This class provided me with skills I can use in college , such as strategies that helped me understand the chapters, the importance that the teacher gave us in order for us to pass the AP test , and the interactive activities we did in order to understand better world history. Some examples are synthesis notes, the SPICE chart, Saturday sessions, debates, traveler's arguments and posters . I know that these things will help me through my academic life and make it easier all thanks to this class. I also learned that I will always have resources to back myself if I don't understand something, the only thing I need to do is to look.
At the beginning of the year they gave us the World History book and each week we read a whole chapter. Each day we had to make notes of the section we reviewed. It was challenging at first because we had to get used to the college level reading. When I started reading more of the book, it got easier and when the words seemed unknown I highlighted them and looked up the meaning so I could get a better understanding of what it said. I guess what, helped me understand the book better was that I have always loved to read and the book's vocabulary wasn't as hard as I had thought to be. However I really liked the online lectures and the Crash Course videos that we watched because it helped me understand better the chapter. John Green put things in ways we could understand and it was funny at the same time because he made world history funny. Mr Rodriguez also, made history funny but in a way that we could really understand in a historical view. Before this class, I didn't have to read for more than 15 minutes max, but I didn't mind reading this book though sometimes I really couldn't read a section for some reason and I would get lost completely or not get a full understanding of the chapter. Then I would have to look at the Crash Course video to keep up or I would ask my friends to tell me what the section was about.
Another thing that helped me in this class were the study sessions. I really enjoyed the Saturday sessions, because I felt more relaxing than our regular class schedule. Plus, Mr. Rodriguez would bring us conchitas or donuts and sometimes hot chocolate. I really liked them because we got to go over things we didn't understand and things would run smoothly. We would review strategies for our essays. It really helped looking at samples essays for the DBQs and Comparison essays because it gave us an idea of what not to write and made it look not so hard to write. We would practice doing thesis to start our essays because it is the most important thing to write an essay. Though sometimes, I couldn't go on Saturday schools and I would miss some important details, and my parents would get bothered because I would always try to stay to the sessions because I felt that they would help me and in the end it would all be worth it. That was big challenge, my parents. They didn't have these classes and didn't know that it would take a lot of my spare time to take my time doing the work. In the end when the test came I felt confident and felt like all those days where my friends were having fun or my family would go out and I had to stay in and I had to stay and read or work on my homework, it was all worth it.
In the middle of the year I started to see that some students had dropped the class and I started to doubt that those people couldn't handle the class because many of my friends were in that class and because they didn't do their work or didn't try their best they got out of the class. I knew it was challenging class, and that it took a lot of our spare time because we were used to a half hour of homework. I was also considering dropping out because it was getting harder and I was tired of the large amount of homework but I actually never told anyone, so I just kept doing my best and well trying hard so I could benefit the day of the test. There were many times when I had to stay up late because I procrastinated, and my dad would get mad at me but I found it pointless because I had to do the work anyways. So there I was almost 1 of the morning writing an essay or annotating a packet. Other times I would be on time and have spare time and read or watch videos a bit and while doing my world history I would forget to do the homework for other classes and my grade would drop. Then I had to balance my classes because history would take a long time and I wouldn't have enough time to do my other homework. Although most of the time my other classes didn't give me much homework but then I didn't study and I wouldn't fail the test but I wouldn't get the best grade. Though I would still try my best anyways.
Overall, this class did more than just history it opened my eyes to the views of the modern world. It also helped me with strategies I should use in college, and in life. I really liked this class and I highly recommend it, because I know that everyone is capable of passing the class and the test, its just a matter of wanting and putting effort to it. The two semesters and countless hours of studying will pay off and this knowledge will stay with you forever, it will change your view in many things and it will help you in the future. As a student I feel a bit more confident in my academic abilities to be ready for college, and as an individual it really opened my eyes to many things and change the way I see people. To the new comers, if you want to have a nice deep comfy sleep, then you will not procrastinate.
