New classes can be stressful, especially when you aren’t sure what to expect! I interviewed Lincoln students in some of the most common AP classes to get an idea of what the classes are like and how you can best succeed in them.  I interviewed students in AP Lang, AP U.S History, AP Calculus and AP Environmental Science. Here’s what they had to say….

What should incoming students know about the class?

AP Lang: Make sure that you write down due dates because most of the projects often have multiple components due on different days, and they can be hard to be keep track of if you do not write them down.

APUSH: It is very important to do your Khan Academy because it can pile up if you do not stay on top of it!

AP Calculus: Take pictures of the notes because you will often not be given enough time to complete the notes in class.

AP Environmental Science: A lot of the learning cannot be finished in class, so you’ll have to do some of it after school on your own time.

What is the homework load like in your class?

AP Lang: It often depends – we’ll go from having little to none for a week to about an hour a night. You normally get work time in class, so be sure to take advantage of that and it’ll cut your homework time down considerably.

APUSH: We typically have around an hour of homework a night for weekdays, which can seem overwhelming at times.

AP Calculus: Around an hour a day.

AP Environmental Science: Not that much, but every week you have homework journals that have the learning targets for the unit, which take about an hour each.

What do you wish you knew going into the class?

AP Lang: The teachers are great, and if you love writing, this class for you. We end up writing a lot of essays, which will help improve your writing, but may not be for everyone.

AP US History: If you complete the work, you will do well. Most of the work is just memorization, and then reciting what you learned.

AP Calculus: If you like math, you will enjoy the class. It is important to take notes.

AP Environmental Science: I didn’t expect the class to be so fun but it’s one of my favorite classes!

What is the structure of the class like?

AP Lang: It varies from day to day. There’s some group work but you mostly work alone. The teacher trusts you to do the work  while offering support for those who need it.

AP US History: Once a week, there is a lecture, and the rest of the days are work days with occasional mini group projects. There is also reading historical documents and  analyzing them. There are also lots of practice tests.

AP Calculus: Most days start with going over the homework from the night before, then moving into the lesson of the day and taking notes. If there is time at the end of class, you may be able to start the homework.

AP Environmental Science: There is a lot of group work and projects, but fewer lectures. There are also unit tests which can be corrected up to a hundred percent!

Do you recommend this class?

AP Lang: Yes!

AP US History:  Yes, especially if you have taken AP world. I didn’t, which made it slightly more difficult, but I would still recommend it.

AP Calculus: Yes, for sure– especially if you’re like me and prefer math that does not involve a lot of word problems.

AP Environmental Science: Yes, absolutely! I think it’s the most fun AP class!