Washington, D.C.

I can honesty say that traveling to Washington, D.C. with A.P. US History was one of the best trips I have ever been on. Not only did I learn a ton about United States history in general, but I also became inspired by the art and history of our nation.


I was going to upload pictures of the trip onto this blog, but my phone and computer are being un-compromisable, so I'll just use my keen story telling skills instead.


Going to Washington was like stepping into a time warp. Often you could be standing somewhere and one side there would be a ivory colored, roman-inspired, building or monument that existed hundreds of years ago, a building that our founding fathers entered or a monument that has been built in admiration of them. On the other side of you there were modern day skyscrapers made of black glass, black metal, and accompanied with roof top gardens. They were completely reflective, almost as though the office buildings themselves were admiring their elder counterparts.


You cannot describe how it feels to stand in front of history.


It was indescribable, the way I felt when I first saw the Lincoln memorial. Being in there on the steep steps to the monument, feeling the history of Abraham Lincoln, there are not words for that feeling. Turning around and looking towards the Washington Monument and seeing its reflection in the lake, there are not words for that either. You can see them everyday in books, magazines, or on TV, but there is nothing like seeing them with your own two eyes, feeling them with your hands, and experiencing them with your heart.


History is incredibly powerful. Experiencing history is indescribable. Being part of history is unforgettable.

Studying

This week puts us A.P. students at about a month out from the big test. Its hard to believe that the test is approaching so quickly and it's even harder to comprehend all of the knowledge we, as students, have gained in the past few months. For students such as myself, the idea of taking this test is both a point of pride and anxiety. Pride because I've made it so far. Anxiety because it's not quite over yet. In preparation for the big day I've been researching effective ways to study. After learning about studying I decided to write my blog on it in order to share some of these study ideas with other A.P. students.


First I learned that studying is much simpler if you know your learning style. There are three different learning styles; auditory, visual, and kinesthetic. They're are many ways to figure out your learning style, the simplest being to look back on classes where you found the information easy to 'absorb', although, the most accurate could be taking an online test. Once you figure out your learning style, tailor your study sessions to that style. It will make the studying easier and quicker.


Another essential aspect to studying successfully is to create a strong study plan. No matter if you're studying for an A.P. test or a weekly vocabulary test, time management could very well be the most important part of your study plan. It is suggested that students keep a calendar or agenda of each of their test dates (amongst other parts of their academic life) and plan out specific times to study for each test.


Motivation is the third part to being a successful studier. Pessimism towards a test, or a subject in general, will not make you a successful student and can negatively effect your test grades.


Figure out the best way for you to concentrate. For me, I concentrate best in a dim and quite room. Other people like to study outdoors, with music playing, or with white-water noise. Try different methods of concentration to see which one helps you best.


I hope that some of these study ideas will help you study for your upcoming A.P. exams, finals, or other test. Good luck!