Is it weird that I don't find AP Euro to be hard?

Question

I'm going to be a sophomore this year, and I have AP European History in my schedule. My teacher has repeated to us over and over in meetings, flyers, etc. that the course is extremely difficult (and that most people get C's or lower), especially for lower classmen. I've also done some asking around, and everyone says it's a death class.

I received a B+ on the qualifying exam and nearly a 100% on the essay back in June. Our teacher gave us a summer assignment to do, and so far it's been really easy to comprehend the text, answer questions, etc., although I'll admit it's time consuming.

Is it strange that I don't find AP Euro challenging so far?

Answer 1

It's going to get harder.  But that's not weird.  There were several people in my AP Euro class last year that got almost 100% in the class.  And one of those kids rarely even read the text book.

I found it to be difficult, but not as hard as everyone makes it seem.  I got an 88% first semester, 85% second semester, and a 4 on the AP exam.  There is a lot of homework, though.

Answer 2

No, it's not necessarily weird.  People just have different academic capabilities, and that's fine.  

Answer 3

I agree that difficulty level is relative.  You may find the class either than your peers.  Your AP Euro class may be a walk in the park compared to other schools.  Just because you find the assignments easy now doesn't mean it won't get harder once school starts.  So far it seems like you haven't studied anything serious yet.  An essay and qualifying exam on a subject you've never studied is entirely different from the AP exam, which will most definitely not be a walk in the park.  Just because you ace a class doesn't mean you'll get a five on the exam.  And once school starts you'll have more classes and more work to deal with, which will only add to the stress.  Once you actually start the class things might be a little different.

Answer 4

Well as I know you found it challenging and easy by the way. Looks like you worked a lot hard.

Answer 5

I took 15 AP courses in my high school, and AP Euro was definitely one of the easier ones.

It is very well possible to get a 5 on the real AP test without ever reading the book, all you need is a good set of notes and a little bit of common sense.

Personally, I am not a big fan of reading textbooks, so here is a good outline site that I would recommend for you:

http://apclassnotes.com/APEUROhead.html

It has chapter outlines as well as all of the Wars, Rulers, Philosophers and "Isms" outlined

I wish you all the luck in your class