As carefree, young sophomores, we signed up for AP European History expecting a mildly difficult history class, yet an easy introduction to AP classes. Instead, we found a much tougher load than we expected — 40-page homework readings, dreaded pop quizzes, tedious group projects and more than a few sleepless nights. We often spent lunches discussing materials and resorted to midnight FaceTimes at particularly challenging moments.
Yet looking back, AP Euro really wasn’t as bad as we thought, but it would’ve been more manageable if we’d had a guide to follow. And so, being the generous juniors we are, we’ve distilled our year of AP Euro experience into the following five tips.
- Actually do the readings
If this is your first AP history course, you might think we’re crazy. We, too, were naive enough to think that it was possible to survive the year with minimal time spent skimming the 900-page textbook.
Instead, the week of our Unit 2 test, we were bombarded with 30-40 pages of readings that covered two full chapters of the textbook. While one of us diligently did the hours of reading, the other often skimmed notes from our friends and proceeded to get a D on multiple pop quizzes (guess who’s who!).
However, cramming the material the night before an expected quiz isn’t a good tactic. And you never knew when teacher Jerry Sheehy would drop a pop quiz on you, so make sure you don’t fall behind on those long readings.
- Use Sheehy’s study guides to your advantage
Sheehy doesn’t format his tests like the AP Exam until around April (don’t worry, you’ll still be well-prepared by test day), which can be confusing when you start studying for the exam in May.
Instead of multiple sections with different question formats, he’ll usually just give you 50-60 multiple choice questions related to the unit. These questions will also mostly surround important dates, names and events rather than being based around stimuli such as pictures or text excerpts like the AP.
However, his study guides comprehensively cover what will be on his tests, so if you make a review sheet based on them, your odds of doing well increase. Make sure to review any video guides from documentaries as well because they’re often referenced on the tests.
If you need extra help or don’t feel like rereading your entire textbook to study, here’s a great Quizlet from senior AP Euro survivor Travis Zhu!
- Choose good partners for your group projects
AP Euro (and World History for sophomores) are both full of group projects where you get to choose your four to five people to work with. Most projects ask you to make your own movie or documentary related to the unit you’re studying in the class.
These projects are super helpful for reviewing specific topics in the unit and can also be the most entertaining part of the class; make sure you make the best of them. They aren’t graded very harshly, so as long as you follow the rubric, you’ll likely have a safe A in your projects grade, weighted at 30%.
We quickly found a group of friends that we could do most of our projects with. Our advice: Choose your groups wisely and find the right balance between messing around and actually getting things done (though perhaps we weren’t the best at this). Make sure you’re always communicating with your group, since you’ll need to work around everyone’s schedules to find times outside of school to film.
- Make a comprehensive study guide for the AP Exam
To be honest, we didn’t do this as much as we should have (Anthony definitely used Jane’s study guides more than once), but it’s good review nonetheless. College Board’s Course and Exam Description has the general information you need to know for the exam, which can guide your study-guide-making process.
This means you’ll need to start early, though, since there’s nine units to cover and lots of key terms and strangely-named wars — including the Franco-Prussian War and the fittingly-named War of the Three Henrys — that you need to understand in order to do well.
Besides a study guide, a timeline of key events covered in each unit will help you identify their chronology, which is especially important because the short-answer questions will ask you for evidence based on a specific time period. Make sure you know these periods well, taking special care to note the endpoints of each time period.
- Pray to the god of history — aka, Steve Heimler
If you’ve taken a history course before, you’re probably familiar with the legend himself: Heimler’s History. From a full-out AP Euro master study guide to videos on every single topic on the exam as well as tutorials for SAQs, DBQs and LEQs (which aren’t covered in the actual class), Heimler, a high school history teacher in Georgia, is without a doubt your saving grace before the AP. While his YouTube review videos are free, other resources are available on his website to prepare for the AP exam, such as study guides and tips on how to write essays (some are free; others cost money).
Even better, Heimler hosts three live review sessions the week of the exam where he gives a crash course about each unit in addition to answering common questions that students always have. These are your last and best chances to take notes on topics you might still be confused on, so make sure you tune in.
AP Euro is one of the most interesting classes you can take at this school on subjects that aren’t covered in middle school or even in the rest of high school. Even though the pace of the class can be a bit demanding at times, managing your time well and being prepared will take you a long way. And once the AP test is over, you’ll be able to sit back (or lie down) and enjoy the variety of supplemental movies that Sheehy has you watch for the rest of the year — a welcome reward for an intense and fulfilling class.
