<p>How would that look to colleges? My reason for wanting to do this is that I moved to a new school when everyone had already signed up for AP classes so it was too late for me. Will it help if I self-study and take the AP exam? I was thinking AP Calc AB, English, and Music Theory</p>
<p>It’s not a big deal but yes, it can certainly help.</p>
<p>Later down the road, it may be helpful to explain in your application that transferring schools prevented you from signing up for the AP classes you wanted to take. Just something to keep in mind!</p>
<p>It honestly depends on what colleges you’re applying to. For example, Harvard doesn’t accept AP credit, except in certain circumstances when you can use it to graduate early. But for many many schools, having AP credit useful–not in the admissions process, but down the road.</p>
<p>Oh okay that makes sense, but even if they don’t accept AP credit do they still see the scores?</p>
<p>I wouldn’t worry about how that would look to colleges but rather what you’d do with the credit once you got in. For instance, while Harvard won’t take AP credit, it will use it to place you into a higher level class. It also has advanced standing. At Princeton, at least, advanced standing is if you have enough AP credit (and I believe they use scores, not classes) you begin as a sophomore. I have a friend who did this. So while it may not make that much of a difference in college admissions, it definitely will have an impact on your future placement into courses. </p>
<p>With that in mind, I do think that self-studying for an AP exam shows commitment and passion for the subject, which is a plus in any case.</p>
<p>EDIT: Yes, even if they don’t accept the credit, they will see the scores if you submit them. Also, as I said above, they use it for placement purposes so that you have the option of taking higher level classes (and thus perhaps placing out of the huge lecture hall classes), though you would still have to take just as many classes to graduate (at Princeton, at least).</p>
<p>I took English AP and got a 3, just make sure your prepared for the test</p>