<p>I am a rising junior and I am planning on self-study the following AP's: AP Psychology, AP World History, AP Comparative Government and AP U.S. Government & Politics. My mother is against me self-studying these AP's because she feels that it will get in the way of my school work and that I need to prepare for the SAT's. So I decided to do this post to prove to her that it is benefical to self-study AP's. So if you guys could please post the benefits. Thanks :)</p>
<p>Benefits:
-Gain discipline
-Those who teach oneself anything tend to remember it better
-College credit [with strong scores]</p>
<p>Disadvantages
-You spread yourself too thin [especially since you want to do four]
-With spreading yourself too thin you can lose focus on other important things and will lose time that could be spent being involved in EC's and such, and if you are the type of person who prepares for the SAT's then this too
-You could be teaching yourself incorrectly and thus solidify a certain concept in your incorrectly
-Granted, getting a string of 5's looks nice to colleges, but I am of the personal belief that AP's are easily one of the least important aspects of your application.</p>
<p>Personally, I would say only take one if not two self-study AP's. The time that could be used not studying for the AP exams could be used more efficiently on other activities that would ultimately be more beneficial to yourself and to your college application. So personally I would actually listen to your mom and compensate by taking fewer self-study AP's.</p>
<p>I would ignore Tony's advice. Studying for AP tests really does not take that long. Just read a prep book and you'll be fine for most tests. Those tests aren't like Physics C or Calculus BC; they won't take you a long time to learn. Reading a prep book, which should take you an hour per day for a week or so, would adequately prepare you for those tests. The knowledge gained from those tests will be worth it.</p>
<p>Thanks for the advice, any more advice would greatly be appreciated. :)</p>
<p>Unfortunately, I'm going to have to agree with Tony. Four is too many...two may even be too many. Studying for AP exams takes a good amount time. Reading a prep book will not guarantee you a 5 or even a 4. Junior year is an extremely busy year. If you have several EC and ACT/SAT to study for, these APs are only getting in the way.</p>
<p>EDIT: Is there any particular reason why you want to study all of these APs? Can't you take the classes your senior year? I saw your post in another board and you are only taking AP US. Why can't you take more AP classes rather than self-study?</p>
<p>My school does not offer many AP classes, there are only two AP's offered to juniors and I am taking one of them. Otherwise all the AP's are next year and I am planning to take 4. I want to self-study because I am really interested in the following subjects. I already took a world history course and recieved in A, I know it is not the same but my world history teacher said I would be fine self-studying AP World History. They are all somewhat related to different topics. Also, I have already spent $100 + on prep books. I am planning on studying my butt off and have already made lesson plans. Many people on this board, have self-studied 4 ap's and have gotten 4-5's. I understand that many of these students are not average so therefore it is easier said then done. At the moment I am still planning to self-study.</p>
<p>My S self-studied AP English Comp & took AP US, AP Comp B & AP Physics for junior year.<br>
For senior year, he self-studied AP US Gov & AP Env Sci + took 7which corresponded with his AP classes. It was a pretty intense time just before & during the AP exams, but at his school you don't have to attend class after you've completed APs, so he didn't have any classes the last 2 weeks of senior year.
He only spent 10-20 hours apiece self-studying the AP US Gov & AP Env Sci review books from the library & bookstore & got 5s. He didn't & wouldn't recommend self-studying TOO many APs--burns you out.</p>
<p>I'm currently self-studying Physics C and Calculus BC, which time to incorporate and memorize the material is one didn't enroll into a previous class such as physics or precaculus. Nevertheless, all your AP your self-studying is most memorizing the material known as humanities. For AP Psychology, just read the prep. book and you should 4-5, the exam is a joke. I'm currently in AP World Hisotry, and it's pretty much memorizing dates, information, etc. and develop essential essay skills, which I already have learned several times. Thus, it allows me to conclude as long as you read some info. from the textbook and cover most of the prep. books, all should be well on exam day. Honestly, I seen students take more AP exam (including self studying) and still received passing scores for all of them, keeping in mind that they stayed focused, and reviewed the material constantly throughout the year.</p>
<p>I suggest...you read over the material atleast once every three months...so read over the information on AP's over the summer, then novermberish, then Februarish, and then in April-May, trust me...you'll feel a lot more comfortable...plus in February you can decide if its too much work or too hard to do before paying for it.</p>
<p>That's what I have been telling my mom. I've decided to self-study all 3 except for world history. Thanks for all the advice. :)</p>