Welcome to AP European History!

This course is a rigorous but interesting class that will hopefully help you to see the world around you in a new light.  Learning about Europe’s past and present will aid in understanding how events from the past continue to influence the global community we live in.

Did you know?  College breaks down into two main academic skills, mathematics and language, which spread into almost all other disciplines.  This AP European course will improve and fine-tune  your language abilities at a faster rate than college preparation or honors courses by sheer quantity of information and  higher expectations.  Therefore, your writing and reading skills will improve immensely in the 8 months we will have together.  Sophomore students taking AP European History might be expected to read a 30-40 page chapter every week to week and a half.  The same student taking AP US History junior year must read a chapter every three days to a week.  By senior year in AP Government/Comparative the student reads a chapter every one to two days.  By the end of the student’s high school experience, he/she can now live through a college history course which would require him/her to read 150 pages each week.  You will be much better prepared for the college or university of your choice!

Congratulations!  You have chosen to take an academically challenging course your sophomore year.  Stay positive, and ask for help when you need it.  You will help keep yourself sane and organized throughout the year if you follow some of these student suggestions and comments about the course:

  • At first, I didn’t understand why I needed to do the IDs or keep those huge packets, but I found them so helpful at the end of each unit and at the end of the year when we were reviewing for the AP.
  • I would always read after all my other homework, but that was a big mistake.  I could never remember anything I read because I did it in bed and always fell asleep.  After the first couple of months, I figured out to read Euro first before my other classes AND at a table where I could do my IDs at the same time.
  • Get a study group together with people you STUDY with.  I had to switch groups half way through the year because we just wasted time.  I learned so much in this class.
  • Don’t procrastinate because you make it worse for yourself.  All nighters do NOT help.
  • If you stay with the assignment guide, and stay with the reading and IDs, then it is not so painful.  It took me to the midterm to understand this.  I wanted to drop the class, but I realized I just needed to better organize myself.   I am so happy I stayed!
  • Mrs. Connor’s notes help so much, but do the reading before!  Then, you can ask questions that you still didn’t get during the reading.  I appreciated the notes when I was studying for tests.
  • I hated the quizzes, but Mrs. Connor kept me honest.  I totally would have blown off the reading.
  • Get help!