AP Human Geography is one of the first Advanced Placement (AP) classes a freshman can take. It is considered an especially difficult class for freshmen due to its immense workload, difficult vocabulary and challenging Free Response questions (FRQs). In spite of this, hundreds of students have just signed up to take this class and are anxious to see what the class holds for them next year.
Mrs. Watkins is one of the AP Human Geography teachers and has been teaching this class at Lambert for 14 years. Since Watkins has been teaching the class for so long, she can recognize how the class can be difficult for students that are coming in from Advanced Georgia Studies in middle school.
“Most students who are recommended for AP Human Geography are naturally bright students who didn’t have to work very hard in middle school to get the grades they wanted,” Watkins explained. “So learning how to actually study is definitely a challenge for many students.”
Another challenge that Watkins has observed about the students that are enrolled into the class is the issue of time management. One thing that Lambert High School is known for is the amount of options that are offered to students for extracurriculars and athletes. Freshmen coming into high school want to try many different things which can make it difficult to balance everything.
“Finding the balance between the extracurriculars and studying is definitely a challenge for many students,” Watkins stated.
Though a teacher can tell a lot from observing their students in the classroom, each student navigates the class differently. Freshman Caroline Holtslander is currently enrolled in the AP Human Geography class and took the Advanced Georgia studies last school year.
Holtslander was able to adjust to the workload of the AP relatively quickly. She was able to rapidly learn that flashcards were very helpful to her and that asking questions was okay.
“I think it took me at least to the first unit test that we took,” Holtslander explained. “I feel like the teachers really helped us go into the class smoothly, especially my eighth grade Georgia Studies.”
Holtslander has adjusted many parts of her life to fit the AP class into her busy schedule. Holtslander not only plays lacrosse at Lambert, but she takes multiple other honors classes.
“Sometimes I would have optional lacrosse practice after school, and I would have to miss it because I had a test the next day and I wanted to make sure I was prepared and confident for it,” Holtslander stated. “The class has also been able to help me decrease the amount of time I spend on my phone because of the amount of homework I have and improve my sleep schedule.”
Holtslander believes that the class has benefited her and helped her to become a better student overall.
“Honesly, I feel more confident in all of my classes because I’ve applied the things I’ve learned in this class to other classes,” Holtslander said.
Overall, AP Human Geography can be difficult for many students, but there are many resources that can help. The teachers encourage the upcoming freshman to try the class and believe that it can help them to create study habits that they can carry with them for the rest of their life.
