“So if you’re ready to get those brain cows milked, let’s get to it!” – Steve Heimler

Whether for an AP World History unit test or during AP season, many students hear this catchphrase as they bury their eyes in Heimler’s videos, crunched over at their desk at 3 a.m. as the fear of exams looms over them. In recent years, the Heimler’s History YouTube channel has become an integral resource for studying among students taking AP history courses. 

Heimler’s History, the YouTube channel name for Steve Heimler, creates content to aid students in various history AP courses, such as AP US History, AP World History, and AP European History. The content varies from unit review videos, videos that address AP themes and topics one by one, and general tips on how to write effective document-based questions (DBQs) and long essay questions (LEQs). 

“[His videos] tell me the most important parts and summarize it,” Ben Lee (10), Heimler’s History fan, said. “I don’t have to study for a long time because I can just study by watching the video.” 

Unit review videos are key to Heimler’s popularity among students, as they organize important information from each unit and synthesize it in a way that makes it easy to understand. Especially at SIS, where students balance rigorous academics and extracurricular activities, unit review videos make studying much more efficient and open up time to engage in other activities.

“My only learning material [throughout the year] were his videos and note guides,” Ben said. “[Heimler] basically put me through the whole course.”

Heimler’s “Ultimate Review Guide” is also popular among students. While this resource is not free like many of his YouTube videos, it offers a variety of resources to study for AP tests. Review guides consist of higher-quality videos, note guides, practice multiple-choice questions (MCQs), and even practice tests for the actual AP exam. The accessibility of quality material such as these are a major relief for students, as they often spend hours hunting for AP study resources on the internet. 

Heimler’s distinct teaching style also contributes to his popularity among students. Unlike traditional teaching methods in the classroom that utilize information-packed presentation slides and are done with a serious tone, Heimler’s videos are often humorous, employing graphics and analogies to convey information. When addressing historical jargon and events that students may be unfamiliar with, he summarizes the information into phrases or a few words so that students can better understand. 

“[Heimler’s videos] have that kind of folksy vibe,” James Kowalski, AP US History teacher, said. “To students, it’s kind of like, ‘Hey, I’m talking with you and your level of vernacular.’ It’s very information-dense and informative. It seems like Heimler has better production values to it and is funny.”

However, Heimler’s simplification of information posed concerns for some. AP courses, with its purpose of familiarizing students with college-level work, are known for their rigorous content. Because Heimler’s videos aim to squeeze a unit’s worth of information into 15-minute videos, they are often broad and lack specific details. Students’ overreliance on Heimler’s History as their main study source could lead to significant gaps in their knowledge and prevent them from preparing for the exam effectively.

“Heimler’s guide gives you the basic outlines, so it’s good for students who want to know the basics of AP World,” Alina Lee (10), AP World History student, said. “But if you’re aiming for a 3 or higher, it’s not a really good resource. AP World is a subject that requires a complex understanding of every topic one has covered, but Heimler’s guide just provides us with the basic chronology of the topics rather than a historically complex explanation.”

Although Heimler’s content may not be able to substitute other detailed resources such as the textbook, it nonetheless serves as an important resource for many students wanting to ace their APs.