For my AP World History class, we had to write a paragraph about an economic philosopher, and I chose John Stuart Mill. I talked about his book On Liberty and how he believed in individual freedom, but also thought the government should step in to help people when needed. He supported some socialist ideas, like improving working conditions and reducing poverty, but he still believed in capitalism. I explained how Mill was kind of in the middle—he wasn't fully socialist, but he believed in using parts of socialism to make society fairer. Writing about him helped me understand how economic ideas can be balanced.

A huge part of AP World History is learning how to write, especially document-based questions, or DBQs. My partner and I worked together to write a DBQ, which involved analyzing historical documents and using them to support an argument. We had to practice organizing our essay with a clear thesis, using evidence from the documents, and adding outside knowledge to make our points stronger. It was challenging at first, but working with a partner helped because we could share ideas and give each other feedback. Writing the DBQ helped me get better at thinking like a historian and backing up my arguments with solid evidence.