I am an international student. My school does not offer AP classes, and I did not hear about them except in February last year (I am currently a senior). So, I self-studied 2 AP’s and scored 5’s on both exams. This year, I am self-studying 7 AP’s and I indicated that in the additional information section. Will that raise my chances of acceptance into Harvard?
If your school doesn’t offer AP courses, Harvard does NOT expect a student to have taken any AP courses, or self-study for any AP exams. You’ve done something extra in the hopes that it improves your chances – and I applaud you for that – but all it will demonstrate is that you don’t quite understand what Harvard values. Instead of self-studying for all those AP exams, Admissions would rather see how you’ve improved the lives of those around you.
Actually, I did not take AP’s to improve my chances, I took them because I am passionate about them. I plan to study physics, and I took lots of course on physics and mathematic on Edx. To cope up with these courses, I took AP in Calculus and Physics.
^^ Ok, but you specifically asked
And my answer is no. Here’s William Fitizsimmons in his own words: http://thechoice.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/10/27/ideal-grad/
But I have some community service activities (about 150hrs). Moreover, doesn’t that indicate desire to challenge oneself?
First off, yes – the EdX courses show you have a desire to challenge yourself and are a self-learner. However, the 9 AP exams are just way over the top – especially as Harvard doesn’t expect students to take AP exams when their school doesn’t offer AP courses. In fact, those 9 AP exams demonstrate you think Harvard places a high value on exams, rather than just learning the material to challenge yourself. And, at a certain level, if your file has already been given a “1” for academics based on your GPA and SAT scores, it doesn’t matter if you have taken zero AP’s, 2 AP’s or 9 AP’s. This is an old article, but it will give you an idea of what Harvard looks for as they go through applications: http://www.bostonmagazine.com/2006/05/keys-to-the-kingdom
FWIW: I believe Harvard rates applicants on athletics, as admitted students are not required to take any physical education courses during their 4 years of college. However, at the same time, Harvard believes active students have active minds. So they are rating you not for ability, but for how involved you have been in high school sports or outside athletics, as they hope admitted students will continue their athletic endeavors on campus.
Secondly, International applicants do NOT have the same odds as US applicants. Harvard limits the number of international students to about 10% to 11% of an incoming freshman class. That means Admissions seeks to admit for about 160 to 190 international students per year – and most of those students are from 6 countries: Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, China, Japan and Korea. To see how many students from your country are currently attending Harvard, go to: http://www.hio.harvard.edu/statistics. From the pull-down menus, select STUDENTS, HARVARD COLLEGE (the undergraduate school) and YOUR COUNTRY. Be sure to divide that number by 4 to get an idea of about how many students are admitted each year from your country.
Harvard doesn’t publish the number of applications from each country, but there could be more than 1000 students applying to Harvard from your country in any given year for a limited number of slots. To be admitted you have to be the best-of-the-best from your country. Is that you? With 150 Community Service hours and 9 AP courses showing that you have challenged yourself? I don’t know. But, realistically, the odds are just terrible for international students, no matter what your stats. Best of luck to you though!
Thanks, now I got it!
While @gibby is absolutely correct, as usual, I just want to state that the above statement can be applied to every US college.
When I was going through the admissions process, I went to an Exploring College Options event, which had reps from Harvard, Stanford, Penn, Duke, and Georgetown, among others. During the Q&A, someone asked, “What do you think of applicants who self-study for additional AP’s over and above the AP classes they take?” One rep responded, “Please don’t do that. We’re not impressed by that.” The other reps all nodded.
Like most colleges, Harvard is not looking for students who are pure academic drones.
But I take AP courses because I really want to. And I indicated in the additional info that I took last year’s AP’s to support the courses I take on EdX, and this year’s because I have lots of free time since my school doesn’t offer course selection.
Would you suggest that I don’t list the AP courses I am studying this year? I mean would it harm my application even if by 1%?
There are reasons to self study AP courses. Potential college credit and the itch to learn the subject are 2. However, as an aid to college admissions, no.
If you want to put it in the additional info section, go ahead. I’m just saying, it’s not going to help you.
As @gibby said,
I find it difficult to believe that you have 7 subjects that you have a burning desire to learn this year, regardless of whether you have the time to do so. It reads to me like you’re cramming for the exams, and I suspect that Harvard would say the same thing. Having a burning desire to learn 1 or 2 subjects is believable, but to learn 9 will just raise eyebrows. Additionally, there is no validation for the 7 that you’re studying this year, since the AP scores will come out well after decisions have been made.
Well, out of the 7, 3 are Physics(2-C Mech-C E&M) and 1 is calculus (BC) and statistics, CS, and psychology. As for the time, I indicated in the additional info that I have a light school load this year. I may not indicate the psychology as I have not yet started studying it.
So, if they are not going to benefit me, is there any possibility that they would harm me, even by the slightest degree?
Truthfully, it depends on what else is in your application, but on face-value, you come across as a robot, a drone, the opposite of what ANY selective college wants.
^Agreed.
Regardless, self studying Physics 2 is a waste of time if you are self studying for both Physics C. Taking the AP label out of the equation, are you saying your school does not offer calculus, physics, or CS,?
First, physics 2 covers lots of topics not covered in either physics C (ex: thermodynamics, fluids, optics, modern physics). As for the second question, my school does not offer CS, the calculus we are taking this year is less than what is covered in AP Calc AB, and for physics, let me tell you we have been taking how to convert from Kelvin to Celsius for like 3 weeks now 
@gibby @skieurope I have to say that I somehow disagree with you, or rather don’t understand how Harvard will see the many APs.
You say that taking many APs while your school doesn’t offer them demonstrates that you are a robot and overly obsessed over marks and tests, but what about students who have APs in their schools? I mean, they too take many APs, let’s say 9, doesn’t that also make you feel that this student is again obsessed with getting marks like a robot? Why only apply the rule to students whose schools don’t offer APs while those students actually make more effort, give more time , and showcase their their discipline, interest, and boundless approaches (they self-studied APs which are challenging courses and score high while they may have simply gave up for what’s at hand)? Apply it to both sides then, and say that taking too much AP exams is generally a disadvantage.
^^ I think I am applying it to both sides. College’s judge students in the context of their high school and the resources that are available to them. If your high school offers a gazillion AP’s, then yes, college’s expect students to take a fair number of AP courses, which culminates in an AP exam. For example, at Stuyvesant High School, the top 10% of the class takes 9 or more AP courses and the corresponding AP exams. However, colleges DO NOT expect students at Stuyvesant, who have 9 AP’s on their transcript, to go across the street and take college level courses at BMCC (Borough of Manhattan Community College) or NYU. That would be considered over the top for a Stuyvesant student, just as self-stufying for 9 AP exams would be when your high school doesn’t offer AP courses. Every high school is different and colleges take that into account when looking at your transcript.
@gibby So, I get that being over the top is something weird and therefore disadvantageous. Isn’t it? But isn’t it supposed that students stand out of the crowd? And being above the top is just another meaning of being above the top. Or am I wrong?
I agree with @gibby . If a student can find the time to self study 7 AP’s in one year, then in my mind, it implies that the student is not challenging hime/herself with the academic course available and/or the student is doing little meaningful outside the classroom.
I am aware of that. However, Physics 2 covers those topics in much less depth than what is covered in a college class (which is part of the reason relatively few colleges give AP credit for it) and there is still a bunch of overlap with Physics C.
Part of the challenge here is bandying about the phrase “self study,” which means different things to different people. In my mind, “self study” means the school does not offer the course and the student is studying the material entirely on his/her own. “Self studying” when a student is taking the subject in school, but the class does not cover all the topics of the AP exam is “filling in the gaps.” Neither impresses a college, but the latter even less so.
It is true that I am not challenging myself by school work, but that’s because course selection is not available in my school. And as for AP Physics 2, I am not actually into having college credit as I am in studying the material. And lastly, as I said, my school curriculum is very weak, and so it does not help me at all in my AP’s.
So, I removed all the expected AP’s from the Tests section and mentioned the courses and reasons I take them in the additional info. Does that seem better?