AProblems

          I’m sure other students about to take AP exams feel the same way I do right now: I’m freaking the hell out. As I’ve progressed through the year, I didn’t think that my AP classes were all that hard. The thing that’s really scaring me is that I have to try and remember everything, literally, EVERYTHING I’ve learned this entire year to prepare for the tests I’m taking.

It’s one thing when you have to remember the content from one or two chapters for a test, but it’s a whole different ballpark when the test is compiled of information that was learned over the course of nine months and is entirely cumulative. And it doesn’t help that the content itself is already difficult since they’re college-level courses.

I’m taking two actual exams and submitting a portfolio for the tests. My tests are in AP Psychology and in AP Art History. For AP Psych, memorizing all sorts of body functions and behaviors and scientists and syndromes and diseases and all sorts of other scientific things gets really confusing. You’d think that having a chapter on memory would help when it comes to memorizing so much material, but it makes it even more difficult because you learn how we memorize things and why certain things stay in our brains when others don’t. The plus to that is it explains what methods best help us remember things, so hopefully by studying those it will help me when it comes to my test. Multiple choice isn’t a problem; it’s always those damn FRQs.

I’m a little concerned about Psych, but my Art History test is making me lose sleep. I know what you’re thinking: how hard can a class about art be, really? The thing is, it’s actually the hardest class I’ve ever had. Art History starts with ancient Mesopotamia back in 3000 BCE and earlier and it progresses up through modern art of the mid to late 1900s. Let's just say, it's A LOT of information to try and retain. I have to remember and recall thousands of years worth of information that I learned over nine months into a three-hour test. To me, this sounds damn near impossible. I'm not good with names of people or places or specific dates for anything or particular cultures, countries or religions or political stuff; this class combines all that and more. Art, of course. It's probably the hardest class I've taken. Although I love the class and the subject matter, the test scares me shitless.

My last AP "test" isn't really a test necessarily; I have to submit two art portfolios that consist of my best pieces over the course of this year. One of them is a breadth portfolio, which can be anything I choose to do. I decided to focus on 3D art, so all of my pieces have to be 3-dimensional so I can't draw or paint anything. This made it really tough for me in the beginning because I was running out of ideas on what to make and what to use to make it. I used clay, plastic, wood, matches, plaster, stone, wire, glass, and paper, just to name off a few things. I'm really stressed about this test because I'm behind on pieces, and I need at least 12 for each portfolio. I'm having an artist's block and I don't know what to make anymore.

As I see it at the moment, nothing good can come of these tests UNLESS, by some miracle, I'm able to pass them. I'm not so confident about that, honestly. Hopefully I can get my shit in gear and finish everything and study my ass off for these tests. I'm crossing my fingers.

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