Ranking my 15 AP classes (the BRUTAL truth from an Ivy League student)
TLDRIn this video, Michael, a Brown University student, shares his experience ranking 15 AP classes from worst to best based on factors like exam difficulty, class experience, and overall value. He discusses the challenges and benefits of each class, highlighting the importance of effective study techniques and the impact of passionate teachers. His journey reflects the pressure and rewards of rigorous high school academics.
Takeaways
- 🎓 The student attended Brown University and took 15 AP classes throughout high school.
- 📚 AP World History was the most challenging class, with a heavy reliance on textbook content and frequent quizzes.
- 🧪 AP Chemistry was difficult due to the amount of material and homework, and the hybrid testing environment.
- 💻 In AP Computer Science, the student felt unprepared due to a lack of prior CS knowledge and felt the teaching could have been clearer.
- 🌍 AP Comparative Government was taken for academic rigor but was not particularly engaging outside of the study of five countries' systems.
- 🏛️ AP US Government had interesting content but the exam was very challenging, and the student did not take the AP exam for it.
- 🔬 AP Physics 1 provided a good foundation for future college coursework, but the student did not enjoy the lecturing style or the early morning class schedule.
- 📈 AP Microeconomics was considered relatively easy, with a focus on understanding graphs and terms, and a humorous and engaging teacher.
- ✍️ AP Language and Composition was stressful due to essay writing but had a great teacher and enjoyable class readings.
- 📜 AP European History was engaging due to the passionate teacher and interesting content, despite some difficult tests.
- 📊 AP Calculus BC started with manageable content but became more challenging towards the end, especially with series.
- 🥼 AP Biology was the best AP class due to the passionate teacher, engaging lectures, and relevant material for a pre-med student.
Q & A
What was the student's overall experience with AP World History?
-The student found AP World History to be the most difficult and grueling experience. They had to read and memorize a significant amount of textbook content weekly, which they felt could have been more efficiently taught.
How did the student feel about the amount of homework and the teaching style in AP Chemistry?
-The student felt that AP Chemistry involved a lot of difficult content and busy work-like homework. They also mentioned that the teaching style could have been improved, as the class was challenging and the exams were difficult.
What was the student's perspective on the preparation for AP Computer Science?
-The student felt that the preparation for AP Computer Science assumed prior knowledge of computer science and Java, which was not the case for them. They found it difficult and felt that the content could have been explained better.
Why did the student take AP Comparative Government?
-The student took AP Comparative Government to make their senior year schedule look academically rigorous. They were not particularly interested in the content and considered it unnecessary for their academic career.
How did the student describe their experience with AP US Government?
-The student found AP US Government challenging, especially the exam content. Despite enjoying the teacher's passion for the subject, they were not particularly invested in the material.
What was the student's opinion on the workload and teaching style of AP Physics 1?
-The student felt that AP Physics 1 had a reasonable workload and was grateful for the knowledge it provided. However, they did not enjoy the lecturing style and found the class difficult at times.
How did the student prepare for the AP Microeconomics exam?
-The student focused on understanding what graphs represented and the meanings of certain terms during class. They found the tests not very difficult and appreciated the teacher's humor and real-world examples.
What made AP Language and Composition stand out for the student?
-AP Language and Composition stood out for the student due to the engaging teacher and the friendships they formed in the class. Despite the stress of writing essays, they enjoyed the class and the books they read.
Why did the student rank AP European History highly?
-The student ranked AP European History highly because they enjoyed the passionate teaching of their teacher and found the content interesting. They also appreciated the stories about European history shared by the teacher.
What was the student's experience with AP Calculus BC?
-The student found AP Calculus BC to be well-structured, with great presentations and homework problems. However, they struggled with the more advanced BC material towards the end of the course.
How did the student's prior knowledge and study habits contribute to their success in AP Spanish Language?
-The student's prior knowledge of speaking Polish and their study habits of consistently reviewing vocabulary on flashcards greatly contributed to their success in AP Spanish Language. They also appreciated the teacher's guidance on exam preparation.
What made AP Biology the best AP class for the student?
-AP Biology was the best AP class for the student because of the passionate teaching, engaging lectures, and the relevance of the material to their pre-med aspirations. They also enjoyed the hands-on experience of dissecting pigs in the lab.
Outlines
🎓 Introduction to AP Class Rankings
The speaker, Michael, introduces his experience as a student at Brown University and reflects on the 15 AP classes he took throughout high school. He outlines his plan to rank these classes from worst to best, considering various factors including the exam, test, and overall class experience. He lists the classes he took each year, highlighting the number of classes and the subjects, and mentions that some classes he did not take tests for as they did not offer credits at Brown.
📚 Struggles with AP World History and AP Chemistry
Michael discusses his least favorite AP classes, starting with AP World History, which he found extremely challenging due to the heavy reliance on textbook content and frequent quizzes. He regrets taking this class as it was grueling and felt unnecessary for his academic career. He also talks about AP Chemistry, which was difficult in terms of content and the amount of material covered. He found the homework to be busy work and the class challenging, especially in a hybrid learning environment.
💻 Challenges in AP Computer Science and AP Comparative Government
In this section, Michael shares his struggles with AP Computer Science, despite having no prior background in computer science. He felt that the class assumed prior knowledge and was difficult to grasp. He also talks about AP Comparative Government, a class he took to make his schedule appear more rigorous. He found the content interesting but felt that much of the class was busy work and not very engaging.
📈 Mixed Experiences with AP US Government, AP Physics, and AP Microeconomics
Michael discusses his experiences with AP US Government and AP Physics, both of which he found challenging due to the difficulty of the exam content and the amount of work. However, he appreciates the knowledge gained from these classes. He also talks about AP Microeconomics, which he found relatively easy as long as students paid attention in class. He enjoyed the teacher's humor and the real-world examples used in the class.
🌟 Top AP Classes: AP Lang, AP Euro, AP Calculus BC, and AP Spanish
Michael highlights his top AP classes, starting with AP Lang, which he enjoyed for the friendships and the engaging teacher. He found AP Euro interesting due to the passionate teacher and the content. AP Calculus BC was well-structured, and he appreciated the problem-solving aspect of the class. He found AP Spanish language to be engaging and well-prepared, with a good system for exam preparation.
🏆 The Best AP Classes: AP US History, AP Psych, and AP Bio
Michael ranks AP US History as his third best class due to the passionate teacher and manageable content. He enjoyed learning about history and found the presentations engaging. AP Psych was his second-best class because of the teacher's connection to pop culture and the straightforward nature of the exam. His number one AP class was AP Bio, which he found fascinating due to the passionate teaching and the relevance to his pre-med aspirations. He appreciated the practical advice given during senior year and the engaging dissections in the lab.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡AP classes
💡ranking
💡study techniques
💡pressure
💡hybrid year
💡essay writing
💡content synthesis
💡academic career
💡pre-med student
💡passion for the subject
Highlights
Student at Brown University shares his experience with 15 AP classes.
The most difficult class was AP World History, taken during freshman year.
The student developed ineffective study techniques due to the heavy reliance on textbooks in AP World History.
AP Chemistry was challenging due to the amount of homework and difficulty of the content.
AP Computer Science was difficult for students without prior coding experience.
AP Comparative Government was taken to make the student's schedule appear more rigorous.
AP US Government had interesting content but very challenging exam content.
AP Physics 1 provided a good foundation for college-level physics courses.
AP Microeconomics was considered relatively easy with a good teacher and real-world examples.
AP Language and Composition was enjoyable with great teacher and engaging content.
AP European History had an engaging teacher and interesting stories about European history.
AP Calculus BC was well-structured with good presentations and useful homework problems.
AP Spanish language was beneficial due to prior language learning experience and good preparation for the exam.
AP English Literature was interesting and applied real-world situations to text analysis.
AP US History was appreciated for passionate teaching and manageable content.
AP Psychology was highly ranked due to good test preparation and connection to pop culture.
AP Biology was the best AP class due to passionate teaching, engaging lectures, and relevant material for a pre-med student.
Transcripts
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