AP classes were some of the best I took during high school, but not all are created equal. Below I’ll share my thoughts on the seven that I took, and what prospective students can expect when taking them.
#7 – AP Statistics
AP Statistics wasn’t exceedingly challenging, but it was exceedingly boring. I was half asleep on most days, which likely contributed to my low B in the class. Many of my classmates felt the same, and a look around during class revealed the high level of apathy among my peers. It also didn’t help that AP Statistics was my 8th period class.
The actual math was fairly easy except for probability, which doesn’t take up a significant amount of the class or the test. However, memorizing all the hypothesis tests and confidence intervals turned out to be impossible. I was able to scrape out a three on the test in spite of this.
I think I would’ve done better in the class and on the test if I put more effort in. Not a bad math class to take if you’re more of a humanities person and just want that sweet, sweet AP credit.
#6 – AP English Language and Composition
AP Lang is almost certainly the most tedious English class I’ve ever taken. The essays have very specific rubrics that they want you to meet, so you have very little flexibility to make the writing actually good. The best AP Lang essays are robotic, and that’s quite unfortunate.
I thought my teacher prepared me well, but that inevitably involved writing a ton of timed essays, which is something that stresses me out. I don’t hate writing them, but I do hate the amount of mental effort it takes to constantly stick to a strict AP rubric, which ultimately made parts of this class a chore. Another reason I didn’t like AP Lang as much is because it didn’t include a lot of what you may expect from a traditional English class.
There’s no literary fiction or poetry to be found here, so that may be comforting to those who hate analyzing those texts. Parts of the curriculum were genuinely insightful, and I especially enjoyed learning about rhetorical techniques. AP Lang may be dry, but it improved my writing skills and media literacy, which is something that everyone can benefit from.
I would take this class even if English isn’t something you enjoy because learning how to create a convincing argument is important in every field.
#5 – AP English Literature and Composition
The bigger brother of AP Lang is slightly more fun. I actually enjoyed the discussions that my class had on the different novels and poems, but the timed writings were just as painful as in AP Lang. This class also included a larger essay that we had roughly six weeks to complete, so if those stress you out then avoid this class.
Even as someone who enjoys English, this class was very stressful. It was a ton of reading and a lot of writing, and it made my senior year a lot harder. I don’t regret taking this class, but it’s a lot of work if you’re a senior, and some colleges don’t even give a different credit for Lang and Lit.
You should only take this class if you’re really passionate about English or if you just like to punish yourself with unforgiving classes.
AP Environmental Science – #4
I really enjoyed APES. The labs were very interactive and super fun, and the only reason it’s fourth is because I prefer social studies APs. This is often cited as the ‘easiest AP,’ but don’t take this class just because of that reputation.
It’s still an AP class, and the test pass rates show that many underestimate the content that the class throws at you. It’s true that the content isn’t very hard to grasp, but there’s still a lot to memorize and it still takes work to get a solid grade on the test. Getting a five on APES is also nigh impossible.
My teacher was also excellent and made the class a lot more engaging. They had a genuine passion for the material which showed during lectures and the craft that went into the labs. I also had a personal interest in some of the urban planning content because that’s what I want to pursue.
You should take this class if you enjoy learning about how science and society interact with each other. Unlike other AP science classes, APES focuses heavily on climate change, pollution and other environmental issues. It’s very much connected to modern day scientific issues, and the other AP science classes really aren’t.
I highly recommend APES as a truly insightful class that doesn’t get enough credit for how good it is. It’s a truly underrated AP class.
#3 – AP United States Government and Politics
This is an extremely fun, in-depth class on U.S. politics. It’s way easier than either APUSH or AP Euro, and the content is just as engaging. I highly recommend that any capable student take this class.
Understanding our political system is vital, and there’s very few opportunities when you’ll be able to learn it in depth. I came in with a good amount of background knowledge and I found the class to be quite thorough. Unfortunately, this was only a one semester class for me, and that felt a little short. I would’ve liked to go deeper into certain topics (the Supreme Court cases, for example.)
The test is also extremely easy. I took the class first semester and all I did to study was watch every single Heimler’s history video on AP Gov. I got a five, and I never really doubted that I would get a good score.
It’s far easier than APUSH or AP Euro, and it’s also shorter. In fact, it’s one of the shortest AP tests overall. The writing sections weren’t awful, either.
You should take this class, period. This might be the most important class ever take in your life, and that’s not an exaggeration. Learning the basics of our political system is absolutely necessary, especially in today’s climate of misinformation.
#2 – AP United States History
APUSH is a lot of fun, but also a lot of work. There’s a ton of reading from textbooks and you’ll do poorly if you don’t take good notes. I found the class to be extremely interesting, but I’m also majoring in history.
The test is probably one of the hardest you’ll take. You have to know the content inside and out if you want a good score, and you’ll also have to master the formulaic writing of DBQ’s and LEQ’s. Watch Heimler’s history and you’ll be fine in terms of the content.
I remember on many weekends spending hours reading from our assigned textbooks and taking notes on the different “buzzwords.” APUSH probably gave me the most homework of any class I’ve ever taken in high school, including AP Euro. We had a roughly 10-15 page thesis essay on a focused topic, and that murdered my spring break.
You should take this class if you enjoy history or if you want to avoid a massive lecture hall in your freshman year of college.
#1 – AP European History
AP Euro was just as interesting and fun as APUSH while also taking less effort. Your mileage may vary, but I found AP Euro to be a much more relaxed environment than APUSH, and the experiences that I gained from APUSH made this class a relative breeze.
There was still a ton of reading and writing, but I was comfortable with that. Whatever AP history class you take second will almost certainly be easier than the first, in general. I also found the content more engaging because I was less familiar with it than APUSH.
Perhaps the biggest challenge with AP Euro was that we weren’t given guides on what we should take notes on, so I had to become better at deciding what I should include in my notes and what I shouldn’t. The regular unit tests were also open note, but I didn’t find myself consulting my notes very often.
The test was just a repeat of APUSH in terms of the format, and Heimler saved me once again.
You should take AP Euro if you enjoy history classes or if you just want to broaden your historical knowledge beyond basic U.S. history.