AP European History Reviews for Class Taught by Gloria Harrison

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Fantastic course! posted by lochnessdonkey@gmail.com on May 31 2008 at 22:34:51

* Did you feel the course prepared you for the AP exam?

YES. Nothing caught me by surprise.

* How many hours of work per day or per week did you generally put into the course?

An average of 2 hours a day, and significantly more in the week or two prior to class exams and the AP exams.

* Are there any particularly favorite assignments that you found especially valuable?

I loved the DBQs! And all that practice made me confident about tackling anything the AP exam writers could dream up.

* Did the course enhance your interest in the subject?

Yes, very much so.

* Did you find your communications with other students to be interesting or valuable?

Yes.

* What sort of student would do well in this course? Would you recommend this course to other students (if they are willing to work hard!)?

Someone willing to work hard and respect deadlines! Turning in regularly and on time wasn't terribly hard and the payoff is that Mrs. Harrison was almost always extremely prompt getting back detailed grades for essays. I would absolutely recommend the course to anyone with an interest in history (or just looking to get some college credit).

5 Star Class posted by Elisabet Bjanes on May 14 2008 at 16:14:21

I took Mrs. Harrison's AP European History class this year. It was amazing. Although I don't know how well I did on the AP test yet since I don't have my scores back, I think I did reasonably well. Mrs. Harrison's tests were quite a bit harder than the actual exam and the amount of work and studying put into it certainly helped. I feel her class prepared me very well to take the test. Each week I spent between 5 and 10 hours working on homework. I would definitely recommend this class to anyone with an interest in Europe. It was a great class!

AP European History posted by Julie Inglis on May 12 2008 at 19:31:23

Before this course my knowledge in European history was extremely sporadic. I knew a few basic periods very well, but I was woefully ignorant of some of the crucial moments in history--the 20th century, country unification, and post French Revolution to name a few. This class takes you all the way through history and gives you a great base knowlege. Plus it encourages you to go the extra mile and read up on various topics.

Mrs. Harrison is a good teacher. She gives great essay tips and lets you know what you're doing right and what you're doing wrong, which is really helpful. She does a great job telling you what you need to do and preparing you, but at the same time, the student is responsible for how he or she is doing. This is not a class for the faint hearted. It requires a lot of time and energy (I spent a couple hours per day on it), but it is totally worth it. This class prepared me well for the exam. I recommend it to anyone who loves a challenge and is interested in Europe.

(Why does the review need a title?) posted by Emma Manning on May 12 2008 at 14:29:04

This class is quite a lot of work, and I wouldn't recommend it unless you are willing to put a lot of time into it. If you want to get a 5 on the exam, you will probably need to not only thoroughly complete all the work that Mrs. Harrison assigns, but also do extra reviewing.

However, if you are a very good student and will be able to handle the workload, I highly recommend this class. I learned a lot, became more interested in history, got better at writing essays, and had a lot of fun.

The interaction among the students was great. Commenting on the essays of other students and reading their comments on my essays both helped me to improve my writing, and discussions on the WWW Board helped me to learn the material better without feeling like I was studying. My favorite part was the 'Who am I?" game that we played throughout the whole year to learn about people (or, in later variations, movements, organizations, and wars) in history.

I would definitely recommend this course to any student who is willing to dedicate a lot of time and effort to it. If you do, you will have a lot of fun, learn lots, and be well-prepared for the exam.

Excellent Course posted by Samantha Bilko on May 11 2008 at 20:03:45

Dear Prospective Students,

I highly recommend that you take this AP European History class with Mrs. Harrison. She does a great job preparing us for the AP exam; I am confident that I got at least a 4. However, this course is not for someone who is looking for a light work load. Generally, it took me 8-12 hours a week to complete all of the assignments, sometimes even more. The most helpful exercises were definitely the multiple essays we had to write. I really improved my essay writing a lot, and on Mrs. Harrison's grading scale you quickly learn to include all the important points (thesis, analysis, etc.)! Also, the keywords Mrs. Harrison had us fill in for each chapter really helped me memorize dates, events, and names. Going into this class, I wasn't that interested in history, but coming out of it is another story! History has become one of my favorite subjects. In addition to just history, the class WWWBoard offers a good opportunity to get to know your fellow classmates. Throughout the year, our class played games of "Who am I?" that were both fun and helpful. One other part of the Euro site that was very helpful were the Study Buddy questions. It gave me a chance to make my own history multiple choice questions and answer those made by other students.

In short, this class is challenging, yet interesting. An AP combo that's hard to beat! =)

Samantha Bilko

Superior posted by Matthew Kilgore on May 11 2008 at 15:56:48

To the prospective student,

Hello! Quite obviously, you are here to inquire about the worth of taking Mrs. Harrison's AP European History class. I can testify that only one word describes the experience: "Superior!" See below for reasons.

Q: Did you feel the course prepared you for the AP exam?
A: I felt more than prepared for the AP exam. On the exam, I wrote three solid essays, and confidently answered seventy-five (out of eighty) of the multiple choice questions.

Q: How many hours of work per day or per week did you generally put into the course?
A: It varied. My lightest weeks involved twelve-hours of work. My heaviest weeks took close to twenty-hours of work. Weeks six and seven were the hardest.

Q: Are there any particularly favorite assignments that you found especially valuable?
A: Mrs. Harrison's keywords (pre-made notes you fill in for each chapter) are beyond value. The keywords were always the central core of my studying regime.

Q: Did the course enhance your interest in the subject?
A: Of course! I'm much more interested in European history!

Q: Did you find your communications with other students to be interesting or valuable?
A: I found the WWW board discussions very fun. We played "Who am I?" to amplify our knowledge.

Q: What sort of student would do well in this course? Would you recommend this course to other students (if they are willing to work hard!)?
A: I would highly recommend this course to any student who is willing to sacrifice some time and dedicate it to finishing a hard yet rewarding class.

Worth the effort posted by Jessica Roache on May 10 2008 at 10:35:33

Dear Prospective Students: I would definitely advise that you take this class. I would say that it is the hardest course I have ever taken, even though I also took a college English course last semester. When I read that the average amount of time spent on the class should be 8-12 hours per week, I thought, "Of course, that's just what they say, it will never take me that long." Actually, it did. I spent every bit of that 8-12 hours a week working on EURO just to complete the assignments. My conclusion is that it is well worth the effort. I did not enjoy US history last year at all, but this year I was so much more interested in European history. It has been my favorite class this year, although I have put more effort into it than anything else I was taking (except maybe Calc.) Mrs. Harrison is a wonderful online teacher...she's great, with almost immediate responses, and always answered my questions (I had a lot!) One thing I enjoyed most about this class was seeing myself improve. When I began I scored lower on the essays than I wanted, but as we worked through them my essay writing improved. As far as preparation for the actual AP exam, I believe this course was quite sufficient. The multiple choice questions on the exam were no harder than the questions on the final. I'm not sure how I did on the exam, but if I failed, it was certainly not because this class didn't prepare me! None of the essay questions were concerning topics I did not feel comfortable with. I would definitely suggest that students who want to get a lot out of a course without putting in much effort find another option. This class requires diligence, timeliness, and basically, hard work. I think that if you are willing to put in the effort, your reward will be equal to what you put in to the class. For me, I feel like I have gained more than just preparation for one exam and instead have gained knowledge that I hope I will be able to retain throughout life.

AP History with Mrs. Harrison posted by Carla Atwi on May 01 2008 at 13:39:36

Dear Prospective Students,

I invite you to seriously consider taking either AP European History (EURO) or AP World History (WHAP) with Mrs. Harrison! I have taken both of her courses over the past two years, and felt well prepared for the AP exam in both cases.

Here are a few reasons to take EURO or WHAP with Mrs. Harrison:

--Mrs. Harrison, aside from being a delightful, spunky person, is an great history teacher. She is from a very international family and has lived abroad for the majority of her life. Her personal experience abroad certainly makes learning history with her more immediate and alive. --You will be given the opportunity to read several good books and primary source documents ASIDE from the textbook! And many of these you will be able to choose yourself. --Mrs. Harrison will make sure that you are keeping up with the work. This is a good thing! Do not think you will get away with not turning in assignments. If you are the type who does not always adore studying, this is extremely helpful and you will thank Mrs. Harrison for it! --If you are willing to put in the work required, you will greatly benefit from and even enjoy the coursework. --Even if you do not wish to major in history or become a historian, the study of history may well contribute to your passion for other areas of study. --By taking an AP history course, you are setting yourself up to get college credit before entering college! --Both EURO and WHAP recognized and approved by the College Board.

In short, Mrs. Harrison and her courses are excellent - I highly recommend them to you!

Carla Atwi

A Parent's Perspective posted by Pamela Zebrine on June 01 2007 at 12:37:26

My daughter thoroughly enjoyed the AP Euro class with Mrs. Harrison. This was her first AP class, which she took concurrently with another, and we really didn't know quite what to expect. I have to say that the first two weeks were a challenge... she felt overwhelmed and questioned her ability to organize herself and complete all of the assignments on time. However, she perservered, committed to the process, and never looked back. She learned to manage her time well, and she quickly became adept at writing those essays! By the time the exam rolled around in May, she had complete confidence in her ability to do well. Overall, the entire experience was a very positive one. She is inspired to tackle two more AP courses next year!

Mrs. Harrison is an outstanding teacher on many levels. She is highly knowledgable regarding the content, clear in her expectations, consistent in her evaluations, and extremely organized and thorough in imparting the necessary information to navigate the world of AP exams. Her teaching assistant was well-chosen to encourage and support the students and to provide camaraderie... an "I know what you're going through" perspective.

I highly recommend this course to any student who loves history and is looking for a way to expand and enrich his knowledge. Whether a veteran of AP courses or a newcomer to them, you will find yourself completely supported by Mrs. Harrison throughout the entire year.

Pam Zebrine

Class Review posted by Amanda Bilko on May 20 2007 at 18:28:35

This AP class does a very good job in preparation for the AP exam. (In fact, it does such a good job, that I didn't really have to study 24/7 (like I did with my other AP CHEM course) that much for the exam itself). However, for it to be really beneficial, you have to be prepared to work hard, and to do stuff as it's due (if you get behind, I'm tempted to say you'll have a hard time trying to get back on track). Overall, this course was interesting (and reading some historical novels made the history even more exciting) and enjoyable. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys history and wants to do well on the APEURO exam.

Excellent Course! posted by Paige Stabolepszy on May 17 2007 at 10:17:43

I thoroughly enjoyed the AP European History course and Mrs. Harrison was a wonderful teacher! I felt very prepared for the AP exam because of all of the essays that we wrote in class as well as the Midterm and final exams which prepared us for the Multiple Choice section.

I especially enjoyed the essays because, although I have written many essays for other courses, I never had to write a timed essay. This was a new skill for me and it is a very valuable one - it taught me to think and write faster. I spent from 1 to 2 hours every day on this course and I would highly recommend it to any student who enjoys history and is willing to work hard and diligently.

I Recommend It! posted by Abigail Murdy on May 16 2007 at 14:34:57

Last Friday, I sat at a desk in a room with many other students, and I took the AP European History exam. As I scanned the Multiple Choice Questions, I felt totally prepared. When I came to the essay questions, I took a deep breath, and started to write. I give Mrs. Harrison complete credit for my confidence last Friday.

That's not to say the exam was not difficult. But I was prepared for it. I spend an hour and a half a day, and sometimes two hours a day, doing assignments for this class. The bad thing about the class is, it's European History, and the good thing about the class is, it's European History! That means everything from 1450 on, in Europe, and in any country interacting with Europe. It's a lot. But then, looking back over the last year, I can see how much it has benefited me and the expanse of new knowledge I've learn, and the new interests my studies this year have sparked. It's very stimulating - if you like history. And if you like history, you'll be just fine!

Mrs. Harrison has been an outstanding teacher this year. I have e-mailed her many questions, especially at the beginning when everything was new to me - this was my first AP course. She always responded promptly, and answered all my questions.

I have special cause to praise Mrs. Harrison this year. My family and I are and have been in England for the past four weeks, and will be till the end of June. This meant I had to take the AP Exam at the American School in London, and it also meant that I was doing much of my AP Preparation overseas, or while I was very busy packing at home. Mrs. Harrison made this allgo very smoothly for me. She exempted my from certain assignments when I would be packing like crazy, and made the whole process much easier for me.

All in all: I recommend it! I recommend the course itself, and I highly recommend Mrs. Harrison as an excellent teacher.

AP European History Review posted by Thomas Roe on May 15 2007 at 18:43:53

AP Euro was definitely a challenging class. You need to be willing to invest a lot of time in it and work hard. Essays were an area that gave me a bit of trouble when I started. Mrs Harrison is quite particular about essays. Although it was at times disappointing to receive a low grade on an essay I thought was good, Mrs. Harrison's high standards for essays really helped prepare me for the exam. Mrs. Harrison did a great job in preparing students for the exam. The keys to doing well in AP Euro are follow instructions carefully, and review, review, review. This was a great class and I would highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys history and is willing to work hard.

AP Euro History posted by Amy Leonard on August 02 2006 at 01:08:43

Dear prospective AP Euro student,

When this class began last August, I was both excited and wary. I was excited because I knew I was in for a challenge, yet I was also wary since I was not sure how I would meet that challenge. Looking back, I should only have been full of anticipation. AP Euro was indeed a challenge, yet it was incredibly fun and very doable at the same time.

Being the first time I had taken an AP course, I invested more time in this course than in any of my other classes. I usually spent one and a half to two hours per day completing the week’s assignments. One word of advice I have is to stay on top of the weekly assignments. I often found myself letting the work slide until the end of the week, at which point I went through a mad dash to get it completed on time – a method which I would not recommend. During a typical week, Mrs. Harrison assigned: 1) one chapter in our textbook; 2) two to four pages of key terms; 3) corresponding sections from the study guide; 4) one 500 to 800 word essay, either timed or un-timed; 5) three pertinent primary source documents. While that may sound like a great deal, it was quite manageable as long as I stayed on top of it throughout the week. During the first semester, Mrs. Harrison only assigned un-timed essays, which required a bit of research. I would definitely encourage you to take advantage of these opportunities to gain a greater familiarity with specific topics. In my personal experience, the studying I did for those essays proved invaluable on the day of the exam.

That brings me to another facet of the class: exam preparation. Diligence in keeping up with the work, putting a great deal of effort into reviewing, and, most importantly, listening closely to Mrs. Harrison, are key to doing well on the exam. If those three elements are present, I believe anyone would be able to do well on the exam. The week or so prior to the exam, as well as the day of the exam, I will confess I was nervous. But, once the proctor had told us to begin and I had picked up my pen, I was perfectly calm and focused. Mrs. Harrison works hard to make sure her students are fully prepared for the exam and it is thanks to her that I was able to successfully complete this course as well as the exam. She also administers both a midterm and a final exam, which are very similar to the actual AP exam, in order to give us plenty of practice. The most important piece of advice I can offer you is to make sure to review throughout the year. I did not review regularly during the year and I suffered for it in the month prior to the exam. Lack of weekly review was my greatest mistake. So, when Mrs. Harrison advises you to review each week as well as to start reviewing for the exam in March, do not ignore her! She knows what she is talking about.

I am so very glad I was a part of the 2005-2006 AP Euro class. I would sign up for it again in a heartbeat. If you are a person who enjoys learning, analyzing and researching, and does not mind hard work, I can just about guarantee that you will enjoy this course, as well. May your year in AP Euro be just as wonderful, challenging and stretching as my own was.

All the best, Amy

AP European History review posted by Jonathan Richards on July 10 2006 at 01:15:46

This is an excellent course for anyone looking to take the AP European History test. Not only does it help provide wonderful study guidelines, it also helps make the subject matter more interesting trough student cooperation.

I scored a 5 on my AP test, and I sincerely believe that I can attribute a large portion of that score to this course.

A Great AP Class posted by Jesse Watson on June 26 2006 at 13:31:00

Starting off, I have to say that this course was hard. Hard, but rewarding. It was always a challenge, and I had to put in a lot of hours of work (at least seven a week), but forcing myself to do the work was never hard. I enjoyed it, and found myself becoming interested in subjects I had never really cared about before: Imperialism, World War I, (Europe!?)? Who’d a thunk it! One thing I found especially valuable about this course was that while it did seem like a normal (albeit college level) class, it did a good job of preparing me for the AP test, especially through the Midterm and Final: which I found especially helpful. Also the constant communication in the class was very helpful. From the serious discussions to the “who am I” games, I found that all of it aided in my studies. In conclusion I would recommend this class to any generally serious student (not necessarily a serious student of history) who is looking for a challenging, yet doable, history course. Thanks Mrs. Harrison!

Two Thumbs Up to AP European History! posted by Eric Hanson on June 06 2006 at 01:09:04

•Did you feel the course prepared you for the AP exam? Personally, I feel that Mrs. Harrison’s AP European History course did an excellent job preparing me for the AP exam. Weekly essays and open discussion combined with outside study created a comfortable environment. When I took the test, I was very relaxed and felt thoroughly ready.

•How many hours of work per day or per week did you generally put into the course? Usually, I’d have to say about 5 or 6. During the few weeks before the exam, however, I focused more on AP Euro, so this increased to about 8.

•Are there any particularly favorite assignments that you found especially valuable? The most helpful part of the course by far were the essays and critiques. Students are given the ability to review and receive reviews on essays that they write. Mrs. Harrison also personally grades and gives comments for each essay. This is hugely valuable; the essays are the difference between a 3 and a 5 on the AP exam.

•Did the course enhance your interest in the subject? I found that AP European History whetted my appetite for European history. Before this year, I knew virtually nothing about Russian history. Now, however, I know a great deal, and want to learn more.

•Did you find your communications with other students to be interesting or valuable? I believe that the ability to discuss and exchange ideas with fellow students was extremely valuable. The WWW board provided an excellent medium for the free trade of knowledge between students, and allowed us to share thoughts and strategies for the exam.

•What sort of student would do well in this course? Would you recommend this course to other students (if they are willing to work hard!)? Personally, I would recommend this course to anyone who is willing to work hard. Socially, only one post is required each week for the WWW board. However, the student can post as many as they want after that. This means that both more reserved, self-motivated learners will find a place in this course alongside highly social students. As long as you are willing to work hard, you will thrive in the environment that Mrs. Harrison presents.

AP European History taught by Mrs. Harrison posted by Peter Cahill on May 29 2006 at 19:15:38

Dear Prospective Students and their Parents,

For most diploma programs three years of social studies are needed, and I know of no better class to fulfill one year of that requirement than this class. This class is absolutely excellent! Mrs. Harrison has many years of experience teaching this class and it is evident! Despite her strict grading and punctuality of turning in assignments, this has been my most enjoyable history class. She has been able to been able to turn me from a student who was unsure in his historical knowledge to having masterfully grasped all that we have studied. I felt extremely well prepared for the AP exam and highly enjoyed this class. It is worth the money and the time!

Sincerely,

~Peter Cahill

Confessions of a first-time AP student posted by Laura Koller on May 25 2006 at 22:33:07

In her junior year of highschool, my older sister, Anne, became the first our family to ever take an AP class. She took AP US History with Mrs Richmond, and absolutely loved it. By the way, she got scored perfect on her exam, and got six college credits at Grove City College, her present location. So my mom signed me up for Mrs Harrison's AP European History course this year, my junior year. I was pretty scared at first-- of the courseload, of the assignments, of the exam in general! But this class was the best thing I could have ever done. Mrs. Harrison is very organized, and makes a wonderful teacher. She kept us all on track perfectly, and shaped us into great AP students. Don't get me wrong--she is tough. She grades our essays tough, and keeps everyone right on schedule. But by no means is this course impossible for anyone. This course is the best thing any homeschooler could do. AP courses give homeschoolers a cutting edge in college applications, resumes, whatever. This course helped me so much that I have already applied for another AP course for my senior year. I know that when I apply for colleges this fall, my AP score will help me get into the colleges I want to get in to. This AP course and any others are the most rewarding a homeschooler can pursue.

A great course! July 30 2004 at 20:33:04

I would highly recommend AP European history as a wonderful learning experience and great preparation for the AP exam. Mrs. Harrison is an excellent teacher and her class is very interesting and fun. Make no mistake, this is an extremely hard course, probably one of the most challenging I have ever taken. Typically I averaged 5-7 hours of homework per week completing the assignments. That said, AP Euro is one of the best courses I have ever taken.

There are lots of assignments for this class. Tons of reading every week, essays almost every week, book reviews, movie reviews, review questions, and more and more review! :-)

I found one of the most helpful parts of this course to be the essay writing. Mrs. Harrison really made sure we were ready to do the three essays on the exam. She started us with open book, untimed essays but by the end of the year she had us writing closed book, tightly timed essays with ease. Her comments and those of the other students were extremely helpful and encouraging.

I felt extremely well prepared going into the exam after taking this course. Although the test was still very hard, I knew not only many specific facts and events of European history but also the broad picture, which enabled me to narrow down the choices on questions I was unsure of. Outside reading combined with the class textbooks gave me very good coverage of the subject.

Those interested in doing well in this class must be willing to work hard. There's a lot involved (European history is a big subject!) and lots of work to do. Good time management skills are a definite plus; if you don't have them already, be prepared to learn them by taking this course! Once again, I definitely recommend taking this course. It is very well taught and a great learning experience.

-- Emily Inglis (AP Euro student 2003-2004)

An outstanding course! by Joel Wissner, May 23 2005 at 11:58:01

This was my first taste of both online courses and AP courses, and from both perspectives this class was amazing. Being homeschooled all my life, I had never experienced a real class with real classmates and a real teacher and real assigments; however, I abslolutely do not regret signing up for this course. Though I learned alot more than what I had signed up for (which was art and music), I learned so much more than I ever expected I would.

If I ever got a bad score on an essay or assignment, it was my fault. HINT: don't ever do a timed essay past 9pm! The curriculum was well-rounded enough, and I especially appreciated the fact that we were expected to do our own research. You really can't succeed in this course if you do ONLY what's assigned. But isn't responsibility an exciting factor of growing up? Like another student said, I'm going to miss those wonderful Friday deadlines!

The teacher, Gloria Harrison, was outstanding ( as well as understanding). I haven't taken classes from any other teachers, but Mrs. Harrison has been an amazing tutor. I believe that the interaction with the teacher and fellow students without the social cliques of live classes is the best way to learn in a group setting. You get to bounce ideas off one another and learn from another's discoveries, as well as your own (and the college talks were fun too).

I would highly recommend this course to anyone interested in world politics. The class made me realize where the world is: we haven't reached even half of the "utopia" described by many philosophers. In fact, we're right in the middle of history, and the events that occur today will be significant a hundred years from now just as the French Revolution, German and Italian unifications, and the World Wars are significant now. Granted, hard work is required; come on, it's a college level course! But the payoff is so worth it.

A Great Online Class!! by Elizabeth Statham, May 26 2005 at 10:42:30

This was the first class that I had ever taken online. When I had learned that my parents wanted me to take an online course, I was furious. I have never believed in cyber schools, nor spending hours upon hours in front of a computer. However, I later realized that this online course was the best course that I had taken all year. It also produced the most benefits for me.

During the school year, I put a majority of my time and energy into this course. I usually spent about ten hours a week on this course alone. It really helped me to focus most of my energy on this one course, and I think that it payed off. I learned a lot. When it came time to take the AP exam, I was very confident in my abilities to take, and pass, the test. Every week we had to write an essay. We were all given detailed directions on how to write a good essay and always given feedback from Mrs. Harrison. I think that everyone in my class wrote better at the end of the year than at the beginning, which is a goal in this class.

Another great aspect of this course, was the people involved. All of the other students were great. We all talked on the message board and, later exchanged e-mail address. It made learning history a lot more enjoyable. Mrs. Harrison is also a wonderful teacher. Even though I am homeschooled, I have had many different teachers in my life. Mrs. Harrison was one of the more understanding teachers that I have ever had. She always made herself available to all of us and it helped us to crasp more of what we were learning.

This was a great class. I know that there is no way to learn everything that went on in Europe for the last 550 years, but the lessons, the readings, and the essays, helped in learning the important facts that were crucial in the AP test. I would recommend this course to anyone who is self-motivated and willing to work hard. Due to the fact that you do not have set times that you must be on the computer, the majority of the course is independent study. You are expected to read the book yourself and do the quizzes yourself. Mrs. Harrison was also available to answer questions and help in many ways, but it is up to the student to do the work. I also believe that if you are to take this course, or any other AP course, you should prepare yourself to focus on this. Hint: Do not sign up for six AP courses, because it is highly unlikely that you will be able to do your best in all of them. This course is a huge responsibility, but I am very glad that I took it.

Excellent course and teacher! by Anna Kimball, June 06 2005 at 18:32:15

I thoroughly enjoyed this course, though it was by far my most difficult one of the year. **:-) I didn't know I loved history until I took this course!** It prepared me well for the format of the AP exam and the type of questions/essays on it. I know I learned a TON, but I can't really tell how well it prepared me factually for the exam (if my scores show I was not well prepared, it is probably my fault). On average I worked about 1.5-2 hrs a day. But I was not very consistent. About 1 hour on Mon/Tue; more on Wed is we had a paper due; less on Thur and generally 3 or more hours on Friday. But I don't think I read fast and I underline like crazy - that takes time.

This course is great for a kid who is diligent and able to learn without lectures from the teacher. Even though there are checklists due each week, it would be easy to fake your way through the class. So self-motivation is important,too.

Even though it sounds like a lot of difficult work and discipline, this course is definitely worth taking. If you apply yourself, it will be a great preparation for college besides getting you college credit. And you get to learn amazing facts and cause/effect relationships!! Like... did you ever think the invention of photography would have an effect on impressionist painters?! Well... turns out it did. :-)

I highly recomment this course and this teacher. Mrs. Harrison is very organized. She gives great critiques of the essays and answers any questions you have. I am looking forward to taking another class from her next year.

Demanding, but Rewarding, Course by Sarah Lube, June 08 2005 at 10:10:29

When I was first considering enrolling in this class, I was pretty intimidated by the estimated workload, especially since I would be balancing this class with 2 dual credit classes and college applications. I am not going to assure you that the workload is easier than it appears (because it isn't), but it does get easier to manage once you learn how to effectively manage your time. I feel that this course helped me to prepare for a college workload by forcing me to manage my time and balance several demanding courses by completing assignments in order of importance. When Mrs. Harrison says on the application that an interest in history is a plus, she's not kidding! For a student who does not enjoy studying history, this course would probably prove to be very tedious. On the other hand, this course is ideal for a student who likes to learn about history through independent research. Although the class is structured around a textbook, students are required to read primary source documents (of their own choosing) and encouraged to pursue topics via the web, museums, historic sites, books, videos, etc. Finally, the best bit of advice I can give to students enrolling in this course is BE ORGANIZED! Start, from the beginning, keeping notes in an easily accessible format (Mrs. Harrison suggested creating categories for each major country plus Art, Music & Literature, Economics(Population, Trade, Commerce), Women, and Science & Technology) . This will help immensely in reviewing for the AP exam and Mrs. Harrison's exams (notes are so much easier to manage than a whole textbook). I started too late in trying to organize my notes, and I really wish I had done it from the beginning.

Parent's Perspective by David B. Campbell, June 11 2005 at 12:18:32

Mrs. Harrison,

Thank you for having our son in your class this year. We know it was a challenging one and we appreciate you continuing on to inspire your class. We'd like to share with you that our son throughly enjoyed your class... You have certainly made him passionate about history, so much so that he not only took the AP Euro history exam, but yesterday took the SAT II in World History as well! He said he was very well prepared for the European questions.

The Campbell's