So I’ll be applying to college next year. I just finished my junior year, and got my APs back today. I got 3s, all around, on AP Spanish, Chem, and U.S. History. I understand that I passed, but just barely. I was going through a tough time, grandfather passed away a week before I took the exam, and had to go to the funeral.
So I was hoping to be competitive at Ivies, or at least highly ranked state schools- ex. UVA (in-state). I have a 3.8 GPA, taken 5 APs (6 if Chem counts as 2), a 1490/1600 SAT, a 34 ACT, lots of community service and been a varsity soccer starter for three years. I got a 4 on Bio and Euro last year.
So how much do APs really count? Will the 3s hurt my chances at competitive schools?
No, not really. Sometimes, the AP scores are sent to a different department and not the admissions office; they’re only used for college credit. They don’t carry any meaning in admission chances.
The AP’s scores them self don’t matter much to the college. The more AP credit you have, the less classes you’ll take there, and the lesser amount of money you’ll pay them to go there. However, colleges like to see that you are taking challenging classes. The AP classes will improve your odds because AP classes themselves are more challenging than regular classes.
I actually disagree. If you got all 3’s this year (not just 1 or 2), then it might show to colleges that your course load was not as rigorous since the class didn’t prepare you well enough for the AP test.
Harvard, in particular has been really vague about its weight on AP scores. On one occasion, they believe AP scores to be the best indicator for success in college-level courses and the dean said AP scores mattered in admissions, but on their website, it says Harvard only uses AP scores for placement purposes which is confusing.