As freshman are choosing their classes for next year, there is an important decision that determines many things. That decision being whether to choose regular social studies, AP World or AP Euro. Now, regular social studies is just a regents class where you learn the bare minimum about world history and then take the regents like all the other classes at the end of the year. It’s a good choice for those who aren’t that strong in history classes.

Then we come to AP Euro, which is just straight up European history from the Renaissance to the present day. So in this class, one would just learn about history concerning Europe, not anything else. So learning small things like people and dates are very important, which could be difficult for some.

AP World is, as you probably guessed, the study of world history starting at the beginning when caveman started farming, all the way to the present day. You learn everything, every empire, every dynasty, every invention, everything. That may seem daunting, but once one becomes aware that history does tend to repeat itself, memorizing events becomes all the easier.

Alright, so now that you have the synopsis of both classes, which one should you choose? And I’m here to tell you that, as someone who has taken AP World, it really is the better, smarter choice. Firstly, why would someone want to learn strictly about Europe? They haven’t been the hub of the world for the majority of history. To say that Europe was the only place worth learning about because of its golden ages and advancements would fail to recognize the many civilizations that were ahead or Europe for many years, for example, the entirety of the Muslim world that created algebra, numbers and was the cultural center of the world for centuries. Secondly, if you know that that you had to take the global regents at the end of the year and was strictly world history, it makes more sense to take a world history class so you don’t have to cram entire civilizations in your head mere weeks before the exam.

Europe has been the center of the world for centuries, but not always. Other civilizations are equally important. And to understand the globalization, the connection, between other countries its important to have the context of the world and its history, to better understand the way history unfolded. But if you are really passionate about Peter the Great, Henry the VIII, and the year Constantine issued the Edict of Milan, then Euro is for you. Teachers also play into the decision. Mr. McCoullough teaches AP World and Mr. Greenblatt teaches AP Euro. And I’ll let you know that Mr. McCoullough is probably my favorite teacher, ever. Nonetheless, why learn about a portion of the world when you are given a chance to learn about everything in a fun environment? So, freshman, it’s your choice, know that each choice is equal in difficulty and that you will have to take the regents either way, choose wisely.