Do colleges find it impressive if you self study APs and get a good score on the AP tests?
Not as much as if you actually take the AP classes and score high on the tests.
BYW- Colleges arent impressed by kids who try to cram in as many AP classes or test as possible.
You are in HS to learn- not to take tests.
No they don’t like it. In fact, admissions officials from top colleges have been known to state that they specifically dislike students who self study APs to “impress” them.
You should self-study for an AP in these circumstances:
- To bypass a foreign language requirement or fulfill some other requirement
- You already know the material; that is, you could get a 4 or 5 without much effort
- School does not offer course, but the subject is related to your intended major (this will also help you determine whether or not you actually like the material)
Doing a random test like Human Geography for no apparent reason will have the effect that @guineagirl96 describes.
I think that what turns adcoms off is the idea of spending time and effort taking tests and padding scores for the sake of it (likely in the mistaken belief that it will impress adcoms). Re-taking the SAT to boost a 2350 to a 2400, or self-studying to take a bunch of APs. These show insecurity and poor decision-making time management skills. A student with the confidence to know that they have achieved sufficiently and don’t need to do more may be more impressive, especially if they use the time saved on other things of value.
Self-study for a specific reason is probably fine. The best examples I can think of are to show proficiency in a subject not offered that is relevant. For example, the student doing IB diploma who self-studies a second science (physics or chemistry) that is relevant to their likely course of study.
I also assume that if a student takes outside or online courses (e.g., an AP course through Johns Hopkins CTY) that it is legitimate to take the AP test associated with that course. I believe these courses can be added to a student’s HS transcript. Any thoughts?
Colleges like students who will be successful in their classes-- they want those stats to reflect high graduation rates. So they like students who can internalize the material in each course they take.
Self studying to learn material is one thing; self studying to pass one particular test on the material is something else.
One AP test can’t begin to determine whether or not you really know the material. All it can do is eliminate those who obviously don’t have a clue.
That’s why your GPA reflects an entire year’s worth of tests and quizzes and homework and projects in each of the classes you did take, and not just the grade you got on the final. That sort of day to day knowledge and consistency indicates that you really do know the material in the course, far more than your performance on one test on one day. (That’s also why some schools are moving towards Test-Optional applications, but that’s a different thread.)
I imagine Adcoms put up with self-studied APs in particular, because they don’t have a choice.
@guineagirl96 have you got a source online for that statement or is it based on personal experiences speaking with admission officers? I recently asked an admission officer from a top 15 college regarding this very topic, and she basically said that if the AP course is not offered at your school, you won’t be penalized for not taking the exam. However, I did ask about self studying and she responded quite positively by saying that " taking AP exams outside of your high school curriculum certainly demonstrates a desire to learn and can add to the rigor of a student’s curriculum". Then again, I’m an international student and some of the most rigorous courses available to me aren’t up to AP standards so I’m not sure if this applies.
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Selective colleges like you to use your time in interesting and productive ways. Is self-studying for an AP more interesting and productive than the way you’d otherwise be using that time?
@blu5959 I can’t speak for @guineagirl96 , but I can relate my own experience. Last year, 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.
That would be correct. Colleges will judge you based upon what is available in your school.
If your school does not offer AP classes, no college will expect you to take the AP test. There are valid reasons that one may want to self-study, as previous posters have mentioned. However, impressing admissions is not one of them.
@blu5959 If the course is not offered at your high school, that is a little different. That is considered ok and different schools may view that differently. However, self-studying to impress colleges when your school has the course is generally frowned upon. Multiple people on this forum have gotten the same response from multiple admissions offices at top colleges. They don’t want people who are test taking machines or people that collect AP scores.
EDIT: Lol cross posted with @skieurope
Probably in part because the commonly self-studied ones are the ones generally considered to be the easier ones, which many colleges do not even give subject credit for (e.g. human geography).
^ Or the native world language.
I actually don’t have an issue with that for the purpose of credit/gaining exemption for the FL requirement. For admissions purposes though, yeah, it won’t impress anyone.
You will be better off studying for the SAT unless you got a top score.
But you do save A LOT of money in the future if you can manage to gets good AP scores! $$$
Wouldn’t it be fine if showing proficiency in a native or heritage language at the AP level or higher is in addition to a different foreign language learned in school?
Of course, there are also cases where someone has heritage knowledge, but not is strong enough to ace the AP test without additional instruction, so s/he starts in level 3 or 4 in high school and completes the AP level and test after only one or two courses. That may be a situation where some highly selective colleges may not see it as being as high of an acheivement, but starting a different language afterward may not get to as high a level as otherwise desired.
But many moderately selective schools probably do not care so much about heritage / non-heritage language issues.
Related to what this thread is getting at, what do you think about self-studying for credits in basic courses (like Stats or Econ) or simply because of a lack of schedule room (Physics)? I genuinely enjoy learning on my own, especially science content, but I don’t want it to come off as trying to impress.
In the mega-ideal world, yes. I do think you have to look at the circumstances because often, reality sets in. IMO, failing the mega-ideal goal, the best preparation would be:
• A native speaker attending HS in the US would be best served learning a different foreign language in HS.
• A heritage speaker attending HS in the US would be best served perfecting his/her heritage language before moving on to a different FL (unless a second FL can be added into the schedule without jeopardizing other core subjects). Many heritage speakers can understand and speak the language, but can’t read or write it. Even their speaking skills are often filled with grammatical errors.
• A native speaker attending HS in a non-English speaking country would have English as his/her FL, and should study the native language (or the language of the country, if different) and English. An additional FL can be added if it does not impact other core subjects.
Again, only my opinion.
Self-studying for the sake of knowledge is fine, as is self-studying to earn college credit. I really can think of no instance where self-studying will impress colleges.
This gets tricky. Stats in all cases and econ in most cases would be an elective, so it’s not as critical that you cannot fit the class in. And the self-study answer is the same as above.
Now, if for instance, one of those was on a particular college’s recommended list of classes it wants, and you can’t fit it in, then the answer is: it depends. Colleges understand that schedule conflicts happen. An applicant is never penalized for circumstances out of his/her control. However if the lack of schedule room is because, for example, you are trying to take physics and chemistry (i.e. 2 or more courses in the same core discipline), that is not a situation outside your control; it was a conscious decision on your part. In that case, they would probably prefer that you take the class it “recommends” and that you self-studied the other class.