Shayna Berman and Laura Nagg
Staff Writers
With course selection coming up, there are some things to be taken into consideration before taking certain AP classes. AP Psychology is one of the most popular and enjoyed APs to be offered at New Hope. Taught by the one-and-only Ms. Anderson, students will explore and discover why we think and act the way we do. It is a “conversation about what it means to be human” according to Anderson. With all of these aspects in mind you must also be aware that AP Psychology is a very demanding course and you will drown if you are not fully committed. Here are a few things that you might want to keep in mind.
To begin with, you may hear students’ complaints regarding the summer assignment. It will be assigned before the school year is over. There are three separate (but doable) assignments, and there is a check in date mid-July to make sure you are actually keeping up with your work. As long as you don’t wait until the last minute, the summer assignment should not be a problem, and Anderson checks her email often if you have any questions.
With consideration that Ms. Anderson needs to finish content by mid-April, you must keep up and be dedicated with the note taking in class and sometimes out of class. This kind of rigour requires a certain amount of initiative which is essential to be successful in the class. They will seem tedious and long at the beginning, but just chipping away at them each night working up to the test will save you in the end.
A student’s first mistake in the class is falling behind. You don’t learn how to ride a bicycle the first time you try- you need fall a couple times. The same thing happens with AP Psych. You need to get adjusted to the class and the expectations. You need to learn how to take notes quickly, and what questions to ask at the right time, and when you should seek extra help. There are going to be nights you stay up until 2:00 am trying to finish the notorious concept maps (not as bad as you may think). There are going to be grades that don’t fit what you expected. After your first mistakes, this won’t happen any more, and the class will actually become easy.
Use other classmates; you are a team! Your classmates are studying the same stuff, making the same mistakes, confused on the same material, and want to succeed just like you. Create study groups to meet in the library before a test. FaceTime someone while working on concept maps for terms you don’t know where to put. Find people that will help you succeed in projects, as there are a few a year. Using each other for support can only be beneficial for your AP Psych success.
The course goes by so quickly, and will be over before you know it. So make sure you absorb what you can. Make sure you take a step back from the work every once in awhile and realize that the content is actually fun and interesting. You’ll have fun in the class- listen to Anderson’s stories and share your own. Take advantage at everything given to you. Choosing AP Psychology is a gift to yourself, you will be enlightened to your world around you, how you function and behave, and how to survive in this crazy world (shout-out to the one and only Ms. Anderson!).
