YYYAAAYYYY!!!! All the agony is over!! How did it go??? Any advice you'd like to give to future classmates who dare take this class??? All of your work has paid off! Now comes the detrimental waiting, the anxiety of the coming of July! Good luck for next year for whichever class you may be in! ^.^
Now that we are two weeks away from the AP Exam, this week has been hectic! Teachers are cramming everything in, the stress is starting to weigh on you and it sucks like crap! What I hate so much is that throughout the year (and really since middle school started), I have become less diligent and have developed terrible study habits, which makes trying to study for last unit tests and the big National Exam harder. What I'm about to tell you might not work for you but if you still can't find the best and most comfortable way to study, maybe try something similar.
It is said that the only way to break a habit is to form a new one. I've heard it over and over again that for people who feel like they could be doing more but always either don't know how or seem to can't get to it, they appear to study best at school when they actually put their mind to it. Now, I don't mean when the teacher gives you work time because forgive me, I can't work when people TELL me to work, nope I just love the fact that I waste my time and then stress about not having enough hours in my day to actually do what's important. But I was at school late today before the Art Fair and I found that I could sit down and just stay focused to the point that it amazed me. I was actually getting my work done and everything. I noticed that there were two main factors that came into play here: 1.) I felt horrible that there were people around me who were sincerely trying and here I am constantly saying, "I'm not going to do well" or "Honestly, I don't know what the frick I'm doing"and joking around and acting like I was blowing off my incompetence when truly it sucked to know that I could be doing something more but I wasn't and my grades and what I felt like I was going to get on the exam suffered. Maybe this was my motivation, knowing that I could do more or that I knew that I wasn't doing the best that I could. Some may call it putting too much pressure on myself and I see their point, I don't want to constantly be saying that what I do do is no good. But it was a true gut feeling that I am lazy not just in my schoolwork but in my life and I wanted to change that, so it gave me motivation. Now obviously a habit as bad as laziness can't be changed overnight but doing something proactively made me at least feel a bit better. 2.) I was working in the cafeteria away from computers, television, even favorite music. Just the fact that I had an EXPANSE place to lay everything out and that my poster was not slouched, the lighting was bright and it kept me awake and that it wasn't just me and dead silence around was relaxing to me. It helped me feel at ease and like I was on task. Now obviously there were some distractions but they weren't self-inflicted, I wanted to get my work done. Now this study haven might not be like mine that I've found (the cafeteria after hours...who knew!) and I still have yet to think of a good place in my home (or else I'm going to NEED to stay at school for the next two weeks....and all of next year). But definitely what I needed was somewhere where nothing was crammed and on top of each other, a place that had great lighting away from my laptop and devices and some noise so I don't feel like everything I do is disturbing the sacred peace. What I'd suggest, compile your simple 3-5 study haven checklist and think of a few places where you can get that feeling that you are changing and erasing bad habits. If this becomes a habit, that old habit will be eliminated. Now a huge distraction for me has always been the TV and the Computer (of which social media and tv shows are watched) and if I had a smartphone, it would be that as well. I still have yet to figure out how to have the will power to not check my usual tabs (Gmail, FB, IC, etc) every time I log in but I guess the best thing to do is when you realize you are procrastinating, shut your computer lid or turn off the screen monitor and work on something else until you finally have it in your mind that the Chem vids or the English paper is what comes first and to not get sidetracked. Well, I wish you luck, I know I could use it about now ^.^ and I hope this helps! Comment below on what your study haven is or how you broke your bad habits. It seems far away yet there are less than three months until the big exam and there is no better time to at least plan on HOW you will study for the final exam. Tips used while studying for the semester exam still apply yet there are some differences here that will be beneficial to know and it all depends on how much time you have left to study.
THREE MONTHS BEFORE At this stage, you don't know everything, therefore any flashcards that Barron or other AP Test prep books give you won't be that helpful and can make you feel more stressed out. Instead, this is the time where you can better focus your time on learning how to structure and manage FRQs and DBQs. I know it's a pain but a goal that I would set is that at least once a week, you use the resources given in the AP Exam Review page to find a DBQ or FRQ. From now until somewhere like March 20th (5 weeks), work on timing and building up upon different parts of the DBQ or FRQ in order to increase efficiency and feel confident on how YOU want to approach the essay. Week 1: DBQ --- annotating the documents, developing a thesis, and word vomit what comes to mind that you can tie to the paper (10 minutes) Week 2: FRQ --- develop a thesis and word vomit everything that comes to mind that you can tie in together for each paragraph point (5 minutes) (DO TWO OF THESE FOR A TOTAL OF 10 MINUTES) Week 3: DBQ --- annotating the documents, developing a thesis, and word vomit what comes to mind that you can tie to the paper AND plan out a basic structure of what the documents and specific examples will be used and where (15 minutes) Week 4: FRQ --- From a new FRQ question develop a thesis, word vomit/structure, and write the paper response (35 minutes) Week 5: DBQ --- From a new DBQ question develop a thesis, word vomit, structure, and write the paper response (60 minutes) Each time you do one of these, take it in to Mr. Johnston during ELO and have him look over your thesis at least because if your thesis is bad, then there is no way you can score anything higher than a 5 out of 9 on your paper! TWO MONTHS BEFORE Now it is officially crunch time around March 8th where the realization that you have about 60 days until the exam approaches. Now that you know how you feel comfortable with how to make the test suit your needs and how to approach it confidently, it all depends on the knowledge that you know. DBQ/FRQ: Instead of working on time and structure, now work on the word vomit part where you find specific examples and can make an explanation for each one. Show the college board and Mr. J that you know what you are talking about. Take this list of examples into ELO and debate questionable ones with him. TERMS: This is the most important thing you can ever do for studying for this test. Now that we are further in the year, you should know (heh heh...not like me who still didn't know) what kind of studying habits work best for you for terms. Only problem that I can see some running into is long-term memory vs. short-term memory. If your habits are more for short-term, things might need to change at this point. One long term way I found best remembering (well, more like trying to remember) over 200 terms were flashcards. For me it was all about content and what it was, so I'd want to write a quick blip of what in general happened and when. If I'd been paying attention at all during the year, the whys would formulate and I could make the wheels turn so I didn't take too much care to writing any of that down. ONE MONTH BEFORE If you haven't started studying until now, your best bet is to do terms. When writing more practice DBQs and FRQs, as long as you know your content and can tie in info and explain how it ties in, then you are good to go yet in order to do that, you first have to know your stuff. This is the time where the Barron Flashcards can be pulled out and it wouldn't be a bad idea to skim that beginning portion of tips and tricks to the test in the Prep Book. Most importantly though is that you have to take the time to study terms. Without the content, it's going to a rough road! Get together with friends to study in groups and go over eras or specific events that you have a mind lapse in and they can help to fill in the blanks. TWO WEEKS BEFORE I'm assuming that this is the point where most people are hard-core studying and thinking that they are going to die on the test. This is the week of sleepless nights, classmates making study guides and the time where we all feel the pressure of the (possibly first) AP Exam. At this point, if you don't know your content, terms are way to go and it would be advisable that you make sure you fill in any gaps in time that your mind keeps forgetting. If you are more or less good with content, work more taking two or three terms and being able to at least list off 15 specific examples that tie in with it (If you need motivation, as study groups, make it a competition to see who can come up with the most and debate against people whose examples might not fit to drop down their total number). ONE WEEK BEFORE PRACTICE EXAMS and TERMS!!!! This week sucks the most out of all of them!!! Your exam is Friday, May 8th and during this week it is advisable to take practice exams and still look over terms. What you could do: Saturday, May 2nd (PROM!!): Terms Sunday, May 3rd: Terms Monday, May 4th: FRQ Practice Exam (35 min) and Terms Tuesday, May 5th: Multiple Choice Practice Exam (55 min) and Terms Wednesday, May 6th: DBQ Practice Exam (60 min) and Terms Thursday, May 7th: Terms and REST YOUR MIND (Plan for 8 hours of sleep even though we all know we will only get 6) Anyhow, it's a lot to process but I wish you guys the best of luck!!! Yyyyaaaayyyy......it has finally come, the middle of the school year yet less than 4 months until the AP Exam in May (I know, it's coming up fast!). This is the big test of the semester, preparing you for the multiple choice section in May!!
Unless Mr. Johnston has changed the format of the Semester Exam since last year, we had a LONG multiple choice test filled out on scantrons. I can't quite remember if we did anything with terms (if some previous students remember, please comment below). Anyways, for the MC, our AP test last year was 80 questions in 60 minutes therefore Mr. J did a proportion of how many questions to give in 45 minutes, which was 60, This year though, your class's final exam is 55 questions in 55 minutes, which makes me unsure how many questions you'll be getting but it will probably be between 45 to 60. Maybe it was just me, but studying for this exam was a pain in the butt. I wasn't the best at studying for the class and having this exam loom over me made it harder for me to concentrate and find a good studying tool. For many, what they used for studying for any chapter tests works for them for the semester yet others are not so fortunate and to make it harder, there is no review packet or material laid out for us on a nice little cookie tray. If you're struggling, try these tips: ~Terms come first above anything. If you are not grasping concepts in your brain long-termly and feel like Dory every time you attempt to remember something, terms are the way to go. Go to the AP Exam Review Page and scroll to the bottom, you will find some study guides (you will probably need the first three packets and need to add or remove some terms). Start with raw basics and fill in WHAT you know, highlight the ones you forgot. Go back to the ones you know in a different color and jot down if you know at least one reason WHY this is important, if not, circle that term. Now you have a guideline for what terms you need to look into. You can't go further into the content unless you know the basis. ~If you know the content of the terms but struggle on the MC because you feel you don't know details, I always felt that flashcards worked well for that matter. Now I'm not saying that you have to go buy any or attempt to read your notes to make them, but go to http://www.apstudent.com/ushistory/cards.php. It is sorted into different categories nicely for you. You know which chapters you struggled on and they break it down into pretty fair 50 flashcard groupings. Go through the list covering up the answers, ones you get wrong, write them in a notebook or on note cards to do the same process over again later. It's tedious but if you're looking for detail, this is one way to go. ~Sometimes, it's not so much your studying that lacks but it is your brains memory speed that gets you. You see a words like Alien and Sedition Acts, Lyman Beecher, or Worchester v. Georgia and you know them but you can't think of connections to other terms with them. This is where a good game of Word Vomit with your friends can come in handy. Make a list of terms, or take the one off of the Exam Review Page, and study with a group or by yourself. Pick a term and just have everyone input in on, first, what it is, next, why it's important, and last, what connects to it and how. It's a long list (about 100 terms by now) but in the long run, going through it will be a nice review and having help with others will not only be fun but it will help you make connects (oh! I remember, Dawes Severalty Act connects to the fact that since (usually bad) land was allotted individually to Indians, the good land could be used for more settlements and railroads which came to be the Pacific Railroad Act and the Homestead Acts, etc, etc.) Comment below on anything you would add to the list and as always, Good Luck!! Considering that I was pretty much lazy all throughout the year...I guess one would say that my Mid-Term Laziness stooped to an all-time low. It's before Holiday Break and no one is anxious to do anything that remotely takes work. Whether you don't do all your terms to its full extent or have decided that the book is not helpful anyways, this time round, you get lazy in classes, especially APUSH.
Since this class is mostly based on independent work and study, the need and rush to want to do anything fades away and you find yourself thinking, "Wow...I haven't had true homework in, like, two weeks!!" when in retrospect, you have just not been studying and doing are graded assignments at 11 at night or during SH. I'm feeling the Mid-Term laziness as we speak!!! If anyone finds me moping about the fact that I knew nothing on the Adv. Bio test tomorrow, you'll know why =). During this time, our mindset about what is important can be shifted out of balance. When this happens, try to rewire it into thinking that you have a fresh start. Most of this laziness for me comes from the fact that I feel that my grades aren't budging, whether good or bad, so why try. Why put in effort when there isn't much left going into the grade book? After all, in APUSH right now, you probably only have 2 more tests going in. Yet, if you look at it in the fact that two more tests counts as at least 160 more points to your grade, it might change your view on how much you can gain from what's left of this quarter. Erase all the other grades and worries of what is to come ahead and think that each test you finish is like starting a new quarter, a new semester, a new year. Don't let other grades, even if they were good, bring your motivation and diligence down. I also feel that Mid-Term laziness spawns from the fact that that person just feels...done. They've had enough and it's just weighing too heavily on them (trust me and others, it gets a whole heck worse junior year ={ ). After pushing themselves over and over and not seeing results or just feeling downright frustrated with pressures big and small...they crack. Laziness is a rebound for them, a way for them to recover and try to reboot their system and their mind and sadly, that comes around during this time of year. I've already seen quite a few people I know just give up and give in to frustration, anger, anxiety, and sadness. It's tough to see someone you know go through with this and even worse when they don't get back to their feet quick enough and then cave in more to pressure when their laziness has consequences. I know it's not my right to tell people to keep pushing themselves when so much bears down on them that they need a moment to just let loose. Come back bit by bit. Start with the necessities, what you need to do to at least get assignments in. The stress will lessen and you will be happy for that break that you took but will get back to it. Hope you haven't gotten to the breaking point yet but I wish that with everything going on that you have a wonderful holiday and that the stress won't get to you too much! As always, comment below to add anything you see fit and Good Luck!! |
Table of Contents
~T&A Homepage ~Summer Homework Do's and Don'ts ~Reading and Taking Notes ~Writing a Term ~Studying a Term ~How Grading Works ~What to Expect on the First Day ~Lectures ~Procrastination Problems ~Studying for a Test ~The Post-Apocalypse (After The First Test!) ~Writing a Paper ~"P.S. You'll Shoot Your Eye Out!" (Getting the Paper Back) ~ Mid-Term Laziness ~The Semester Exam ~ Studying for the Final Exam ~ Breaking Bad Study Habits ~ FREEDOM!!! (You're Done!!!) Archives
May 2015
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