My Tips for Taking AP Exams

This past week I took 2 AP exams: AP Environmental Science and AP United States History. I have taken a few in the last two years and I think they can be a great choice if you think you are up to the challenge. I do want to say that they are much more rigorous than a normal class in that subject area because they are college level classes. However, it is better to get an A in an honors class than to get a C in an AP class, so make sure you are going to be able to do well. But without further ado, here are my tips:

1) Start studying at the very beginning of the year.

AP exams cover all the material from the entire year in depth so it is very important to remember information from the beginning of the course. A lot of my history questions this year were on events before the Civil War. AP likes to challenge you and will test on subjects they think you may have forgotten about.

2) Take practice exams before taking the real test.

Timing is everything in AP. If you run out of time, it will be very difficult to get the score you want. If you have taking a full practice test you will get used to the timing of the test. Some tests, like the US History one, have a section were you have to split your time to write multiple essays. I know giving up a Saturday morning for a practice test doesn't sound fun but it could make a big difference in your score.

3) Sleep the night before. We all know that cramming until 3 am never works!

The test will drain your energy so you better start with a full tank. DO NOT STUDY THE NIGHT BEFORE! If you don't know it by then, you won't know it during the test!

4) Wear comfy clothes.
You will be sitting for more than 3 hours. No one gets to judge your clothing choices. Chances are they will be wearing the same type of thing.

5) Don't freak out if the essay questions seem difficult.
You WILL know something related to the topic if you have been paying attention in class. Also, sometimes the questions are written in a way that makes them seem more difficult than what they actually are. Figure out what it is asking and plan your answer. Freaking out will make things worse and hinder your performance. Just remember:

If you have any questions or extra tips comment them below! :)

XOXO Avery

My Top 5 Favorite Stores

These stores are the stores I shop at the most. Some I only order things online and some I only go to the actual store. They aren’t in any particular order; each have their ups and downs so without further ado, let’s get to the list!

 

Forever 21

Who doesn’t love Forever 21. They have things for 99 cents all the way up to over 100 dollars. Because I get really overwhelmed by the amount of things in the store, I only order things off of their website. About once a week I check for new items and if there are any good sales. I find it easier to add items to a wishlist and then wait for a good sale to come up. There are always free shipping deals or 30% off deals offered pretty frequently. My favorite item I have bought recently is this blue romper:

 

 Windsor

Every time I go to the mall, I have to look in Windsor. The clothing items are more on the expensive side but I love their formal dresses. I got my Homecoming dress there last year for $99 and am planning on getting both my Homecoming and Prom dress from Windsor this year. Here is a picture of my old Homecoming dress:

 

 

Target

I go to Target a lot more than I probably should. I tried ordering things from their website, but half of the things weren’t in the box and I had to wait an extra 2 months for them to be delivered. After that, I only got to the actual store.  I don’t buy that many things when I go, I just get little bits and bobs. I normally buy the strangest assortment of items. The last time I went I bought a phone charger adapter for the car and two pairs of tights. One pair was maroon with glitter polka dots and the other was gray with tiny silver bows.

 

T.J. Maxx

I go to T.J. Maxx the least out of all of these places and always end up buying things I don’t really need. I recently got I bunch of mason jar glasses with cute little lids and straws. They were only a dollar apiece so I got a bunch. T.J. Maxx is also great because they  have a rack of clothes that are slightly broken for a very discounted price. I got a dress that was originally $20 for $3. The zipper was broken but I took it to a tailor who replaced it for $2. All together it was $5 compared to the original $20.    

 

Bealls Outlet

I often buy shoes, purses, and other accessories from Bealls outlet. Because it is an outlet, the prices are discounted but you get roughly the same quality. My favorite item I have gotten from there recently is my light pink purse. It is a Nine West purse that originally was $80 but I got it for $30.

 

 

So those are my favorite and most visited stores that are within my immediate area. Maybe later on I could do a list of my other favorite stores that are more of a treat to go into because they are not in town.

What’s your favorite store that you think I should check out? I’m always up for shopping so let me know!

xoxo Avery

 

Another Public School Story- Another Strange Substitute

But are there any normal substitute teachers? I have yet to have one normal one.

Last week our sub made us watch a video that was not in English, it was in RUSSIAN. So we basically did nothing that day.

But, in my history class, we had a sub that might take first place in the crazy race.

I actually had to finish a test and ended up coming in about 10 minutes after the class period started. I had a pass from my last class so I was supposed to be able to just come in, give the sub the pass, and sit down and do the assignment. That did not happen.

When I walked through the door, the sub was giving a speech about not speaking at all during class. I went up to give him my pass and when he saw it he asked what it was for. When I tried to answer him he said "NO! No talking!"

I was very confused at this point. How was I supposed to answer his question without talking? So I just went and sat down.

Let me take a moment to describe this fellow. He had on a suit with a cartoon print hoodie over it, which was at least 2 sizes too big. He had bright red glasses and was wearing a fedora. It was an odd ensemble.

About 15 minutes later he was finally done with roll and his "No talking" speech. He laid candy out on the front table and said that if everyone did their work, we could get some on the way out.

Now, I don't know about you, but everyone in my class respects and understands the power of candy, so no one talked.

Not even a peep. For once, the entire class finished the assigned work. It was amazing.

Finally, the bell rang and we left with our candy. At this point, I should add that in addition to the individually wrapped chocolates, there were Dixie cups with skittles in them "For kids that can't eat chocolate." No one took these, because who knew what was in them.

The next day, my history teacher was furious. She spent half the class talking about all the terrible things the sub did the previous day.

Kids had told her that he cussed out one student, told another kid "I don't care about your name, you're not important," and yelled at anyone who said anything. He went through her desk and moved everything around. He also wrote a letter to her about how stupid everyone was, how he couldn't believe the classes were AP and IB classes, and how everyone was on their phones the whole time. Even though the assignment was supposed to be turned in on Edmodo, which is done by phone and the teacher had told him earlier that we were supposed to be on our phones.

Let's just say that my teacher is doing everything in her power to make sure that he never subs for her again.

What's the worst substitute teacher story you have?

XOXO Avery

GALentine's Day!

This has to be one of my favorite holidays ever. Created by Parks and Recreation's Leslie Knope, Galentine's day is the day when you celebrated your best friends and leave the guys at home. Though it should be celebrated over breakfast food, my BFF and I exchanged gifts before our ballet class.

We are both so similar that we got each other the same gift, Amy Poehler's new book Yes Please. It is so funny and one of the best Galentine's gifts ever.

I wish you all a happy Galentine's day! So does Chris Traeger:

 

XOXO Avery

Exploring 2015 by -J

So...There is a new blog that I have been reading and it is really good.

I'm serious guys, really good.

The posts are short and easy to read and they are pretty funny.
My favorite has to be the post titled "Fashion Tips" but it's not what you think it is. Here's a hint:

 

 

Yeah, go find out what that's about. Don't pretend like you don't want to. You do.
Here's the link so you can read it for yourself.
Any other funny people I need to know about? Let me know in the comments!

XOXO Avery

Public School Story- The Strange Subsitute

So, the other day, my AP Environmental Science teacher was absent. Sadly, he was not sick and was just sent to a workshop. I know that sounds bad, that we wished he was out sick, but at my school, if a teacher is out for any reason besides a workshop, the school does not hire a substitute. Instead, we sit in the cafeteria for that class period. It's really fun if you have friends in that class with you and an absolute nightmare when you don't. Anyway, back to the sub.

We had a sub named Mr. Sub* filling in for Mr. A*. Mr. A had left a note for Mr. Sub that said : Type this movie title in YouTube and it will be the first one on the list of results.

Unfortunately, it was not the first one. Mr. Sub however, didn't realize that and for the entire 50 minute class period we watched a documentary entirely in Russian. 

That's right! RUSSIAN!

We were supposed to take notes and turn them in at the end of class, so all everyone did was write down the things they saw on the screen. My notes were things like old men talking, blue shipping containers, and man playing a banjo. It was a strange documentary made even stranger by the fact that it was not in English.

Now you may be thinking, how on earth did Mr. Sub not notice the movie was in Russian? or why did no one tell him that the movie was in Russian?

The answer is, Mr. Sub was really mean and if anyone tried to contradict him, he would send them out of class. So we just sat and took fake notes about a Russian documentary.

All in all, it was a pretty fun day.
*names changed.

XOXO Avery



Target Fragrances vs. Bath and Body Works Fragrances

Just about everyone owns a Bath and Body Works fragrance mist. I have had many over the years but my current favorite is Pink Chiffon. It is very light and floral smelling. I ran out recently and because the nearest Bath and Body Works is about 30 minutes away, I went to Target to get a perfume to have until I could drive to the mall.
To my surprise, the Target mists were just as good as the Bath and Body Works ones. They had many choices and my favorite was Moroccan Sunset. Both are great but I think I will be buying my perfumes from Target now. Here are the pros for both:

Target bodycology® pros

·         Strong, lasting smell

·         Same amount as Bath and Body Works mists- 8oz

·         Cheaper- $3.99

Bath and Body Works pros

·         Greater selection of fragrances

·         Good sales

·         Nice packaging

Both are great but the only reason I will be buying the Target bodycology® from now on is that fact that it is so much cheaper for the same amount of perfume. Let me know what you think, or if there is a store that also has really great fragrance mists that I should try out.

Xoxo Avery