<p>I am an international student (residing in Canada) interested in applying for US universities.
I do have a few questions concerning APs and IBs.
Do they really matter a lot for international students? Our school does not offer any IB programs and only very limited APs (biology, chemstry, physics, American history, European history and English). All besides American history are offered only for seniors. I know I can self study some, but it is quite impossible to study like five all at one time. Does it really put me in an disadvantage? Should I explain my situation when filling in the application forms?</p>
<p>Another question: our AP physics teacher is not really a good teacher because he doesn't teach at all, not to mention AP. Should I still choose that course for the sake of the transcript, or just choose a regular one and self study more in depth?</p>
<p>I know. But our school doesn’t offer that many. I have already talked to the counsellors and they said they could do nothing about it. I am a junior already, taking only two APs at school and two by myself. All the APs are offered to seniors only and I am already jumping. What should I do?</p>
<p>a common misconception is that you need to take tons of APs. Not true.
If you took the most amount of APs in your school you can take, it’s fine.
What matters most is how rigorous your courses are in terms of others, GPA, and EC.
I’d say in your position, focus on getting great EC</p>
<p>They care more about the possibilities you have and what you do with them than how many APs you take. Say your school offers no Aps but you self study and get 4-5s on a few ap tests, sure that looks impressive, but it isnt mandatory. Colleges know not all places are the same.</p>