I’m really interested in psychology, however I’ve been discouraged by many to major in it. I’ve considered taking a free online class for college level introductory Psychology and taking the AP Psych exam.
Would colleges look down upon it if I don’t plan on majoring in it, and is it worth forking over $90? My main concern is actually whether it would save me money when paying for college course credits, and potentially making me look better for admins. I’m hoping for HYPSM, mainly Princeton and Stanford.
If by taking the AP Psych Exam, you do well enough to get college credit, it will save you money (and a lot more than $90) but only if you are using those credits (along with other AP credits) to graduate early. Otherwise, it just shows self-motivation and a high level of interest in the field.
Why are you being discouraged from majoring in Psych if that’s what really interests you? It’s a fascinating subject with a lot of real world application. Of course, to work in the field, or to use what you learn in another field, you will need an advanced degree, but that is also true of many other sciences and social sciences.
@N’s Mom I’ve been advised multiple times to not go into the field because of the popularity and reported high tuition and low paying positions in comparison. I’m more interested in psychoanalysis and mental illness than cognition and the like. It’s one of many interests I have, so I have plenty of options to choose from if I don’t pick psychology. I’ve also had multiple students tell me the teacher at my school is horrible and mean. I’m taking this with a grain of salt, but I also found out she has high fail rates, which is pretty uncommon at my school. A relative has given my family an AP Psych textbook to supplement the online course. Another option that I forgot to mention was that there is an online course for AP Psychology, however it will only be available after school, and I’d prefer taking it over the summer. It would count as an external course if I were to take it over the summer, which I might want to use for something else, like getting ahead in math. I also am thinking of trying to take higher level psychology courses in college while still saving money, especially since my family has a tight budget.
One concern I have is whether the school I end up going to will accept the credits if I take the exam. I would still like to take the course in order to learn about psychology and not waste money on a useless exam, if that would be the case.
Psych is popular for the same reason that Econ is popular - it provides a lot of insight a lot of what we do in life. Examples: A child psych class provides helpful insight when you are raising your own kids. A class on abnormal psych helps you think about the cultural context for what constitutes ‘abnormal.’ That’s not a reason to rule something out. The ‘high tuition/low payout’ argument is only true if you are talking about tuition at a private university (not a State U) and a job that you can get with a BA in Psych. But very few psych majors work in the field without an advanced degree.
That said, if there are lots of things that interest you, have at it. On the question of the exam, I know of no schools that would give you college credit for a self-study course you took that didn’t include passing the related AP exam with a 4 or 5. Some, but not all, may give you credit if you do have the AP exam. This is a school by school decision. My take would be that if you’ve done the work, and you think you might want the extra credits to graduate early, then pay the $90. Otherwise, don’t bother. Self-study for the fun of it.
@N’s Mom I would really enjoy the course and intend on attending a private uni, but that could change. I think I would do well on the exam, and would love to graduate earlier (or take on lighter course loads per year) and save money. And I want to know the material more than anything, but would seriously like credentials for my work.
Thanks for the insight on psychology. I was seriously discouraged to hear that psychology wasn’t a good option.
AP’s are worth it. They show academic rigor, give you an idea of what college level work is like, display you have an interest in the topic, and depending on how you do on the AP exam and the policies of the school, can get you college credit.
Just because you don’t want to major in it doesn’t mean you can’t AP it. AP’ing shows an interest (in your case, a strong one) and want to know more about the topic on a more intellectual level.
@TheDidactic I know a ton of people at my school who are only doing it for the GPA padding, and one guy taking it online for the same reason. I’m planning on taking it online after school, and don’t want to make it seem like I’m doing it for the easy AP credit. Any way to express more interest and not have to do anything extravagant?
Psych is a pretty easy one to self study and most colleges will accept AP credit for it anyway. If the teacher is truly bad and fails a lot of students, that could be an option. If you high school doesn’t offer that many options, you don’t have to do that much extra to show interest in the field. You could try volunteering some place related to your interests or some universities have internships that high schoolers can apply to that are in the psychology field. Also you should note that what your parents are probably referring to is a psychology degree only at the bachelor level. It can be difficult to do what you want to do with only a bachelor’s degree and it will most likely require further schooling. In terms of ROI it may be lower than other majors that require further schooling, but if that is truly what you are interested in, don’t let others stop you
The colleges you mention here probably do not grant any college credits for AP Psych, so no money saved there. Also taking this particular course probably has no effect on your application. If you are truly interested in the topic, then the class would be one of several items in your resume showing activity and/or accomplishment in psychology.