I’m now a junior in high school! It feels a little strange, to be one of the “upperclassmen” or the top two grades in high school. I have a heavy workload this year, as I’m taking a lot of APs, or Advanced classes, which means a lot of homework as well! The first 6 weeks- our first grading cycle- are just about to end, so I thought it was the perfect time to write about my classes for this year.
AP RESEARCH:
I start the day off in AP Research, a class where we learn how to effectively research and synthesize information in order to write a 4000 word research paper at the end of the year. Currently, we’re learning how researchers in the field conduct research in their respective topics. There’s rarely any homework for this class, and the work is easy, meaning it’s a great class to have in the mornings!
AP CALC BC:
Next is AP Calculus BC. There are two AP Calc’s- AB and BC. I skipped AB, meaning that I had to learn it over the summer. It’s definitely a faster paced course, with challenging tests, but I’m also learning a lot. We do occasionally get homework, but it’s short, not challenging, and a completion grade.
AP US HISTORY
AP US History, or APUSH, teaches us about how the US has come this far, starting from the very beginning- Europe’s colonization. Currently, we’re learning about the set up of the Constitution and the people who played a key role in that. Unfortunately, we tend to have a lot of homework in that class, as we have to take notes that we have a reading quiz on at the end of every week.
AP ENGLISH LANGUAGE:
The AP English Language class focuses on nonfiction and the best way to write effectively. At the end of the year, we’re expected to write 3 essays and so far, we’ve been studying the rhetorical essay. The rhetorical essay focuses on how authors use sentence structure, appeals, and word choice to convey their message. We’ve had a few tests in that class, but they’re generally easy.
WORLD RELIGIONS/MYTHOLOGY:
This has been a class I’ve been waiting to take since I first heard about it. I’ve always loved mythology and world religions are interesting to me as well! I really do enjoy this class, which is split into two semesters- one focusing on World Religions, the other on Mythology. We’ve just finished our unit on animism and indigenous religions and I believe next is Hinduism. We don’t have a lot of homework or tests!
AP CHEMISTRY:
As I’m planning to major in something in the chemistry field, it’s important that I take AP Chem. So far, the majority of this class has been working on packets that build off of my understanding of chemistry from last year’s on-level chemistry class. Our tests are pretty easy and we don’t have a lot of homework, and I enjoy chemistry so this is a great class!
AP PHYSICS 1:
AP Physics probably has the hardest tests out of any of my classes. The questions are mostly conceptual, even as we practice math questions in class. Still, I’m learning a lot from the class and I really enjoy my teacher’s teaching style, which makes the class go by easier. Overall, we do have homework, but it never takes too long.
And those are all my classes this year! As I said before, the workload is pretty large, but I’m learning a lot through it all. I can’t wait for more experiences throughout this school year!