<p>Alright reading some of these forums and seeing the vast amounts of APs some students have is really starting to scare me. My school doesn't allow students to have APs until senior year, and only 2 APs junior year; thus not having many AP tests. UK unis require a certain amount of AP tests and courses so will this hurt my chances do you think? I loathe my high school.</p>
<p>My School is the same! It’s not your fault that your school does this, it’s just the way it is. If it’s really something that bothers you you can take online courses.</p>
<p>The adcoms will of course take what is offered by each school individually into account. You have nothing to fear.</p>
<p>Just explain it to the colleges and most of them will probably understand</p>
<p>Self study more!</p>
<p>RE: APs and UK unis.</p>
<p>I got into Oxford with four APs - roughly equivalent to 3 A-levels (plus SATs and 3 SATIIs). If you apply junior year with, say, two APs behind you, you will just get an offer conditional on your senior year AP results. Stressful, but not implausible. According to the Oxford site, they will be willing to go just on 4-5 SATII results, but I don’t know anyone who’s gone that route.</p>
<p>We have none. Consider yourself lucky.</p>
<p>That’s why the school profile is important. If you took no APs but your school had none, that won’t be held against you. They send that with your app and they’ll understand you maximized your study course in high school. If your school has weird AP limitations, check your school profile (ask your GC to give you one). If these limitations are not clearly put on the profile, complain to the guidance office / principal and clarify it in your own common application.</p>
<p>The context of the school is very important. Colleges recognize that not all schools give you freedom/opportunity to take lots of APs. GCs mention this, and the school profile will often state it. If not, then you’ve got to have someone mention it (and complain!).</p>
<p>Self study and take APs that you like. This is quite doable with just public
library resources and probably shows some initiative on your part?</p>
<p>:)</p>
<p>at my school they only have 2 AP’s for juniors, 4 for seniors, and AP spanish… the colleges will look at the number of AP courses offered at your school and the number of AP courses you take.</p>
<p>Thank you to all for these replies, I’m definitely much more relieved. Has anyone here taken online courses or study outside of school? Did this benefit you and your appeal to colleges?</p>
<p>I don’t think I learned anything in the AP English Language class that was of any use for the test. You could probably take and do well on some of the tests with minimal preparation.</p>
<p>i’m self -studying for the english language one. i’m taking psych and english lit in a class.</p>
<p>Not having many APs because of your school won’t be held <em>against</em> you but it won’t be held for you either. Let’s put it this way. While they won’t discount your academic abilities because of your limited choices, you also won’t have proved yourself like the kids who have taken many APs successfully (earning mostly As, 5s and 4s). They won’t assume you’d have done badly with lots of APs but they can’t know you’d have done well either. So you’ll have to distinguish yourself in other ways. Definitely get As in the APs you have taken, maximise test scores and do important things in your ECs, because strength of curriculum is after all held to be the single most important factor in admissions. But yes, it will help if you self study a bunch of APs- it shows you have discipline and self motivation.</p>
<p>We live in a small town with a high school that offers few options, and only four AP courses. Fortunately, we have a state university in town, and it’s possible to take joint-enrollment courses that count toward HS graduation. Not only are they perhaps a better measure of college-level work, they also represent a certain level of initiative on the part of the student to not be limited by the narrow HS curriculum. If there’s any way to work it out, I’d recommend joint-enrollment.</p>
<p>Consider yourselves lucky not to be in a school where kids commonly take 5 or 6 AP’s a year! It’s always one extreme or the other, it seems. You can prove your college capability by taking courses at community colleges or local universities over the summer. One or two should show that you are capable at achieving at the college level. Otherwise, do well on your SAT/ACT’s and follow your interests, admissions officers see applicants from all types of schools and will know how to evaluate you fairly.</p>
<p>^ why ?</p>
<p>Unhopeful,
I have taken courses via [Stanford</a> University’s EPGY online](<a href=“http://epgy.stanford.edu/courses/physics/index.html]Stanford”>http://epgy.stanford.edu/courses/physics/index.html) helping
me get a 5 on AP Physics C Mechanics. I know someone who is
taking a course from [Keystone</a> online](<a href=“http://www.keystonehighschool.com/curriculum/ap_courses.php]Keystone”>http://www.keystonehighschool.com/curriculum/ap_courses.php) for the AP Envioronmental Science.
Keystone also covers a number of other APs (Psych/Economics/etc.).</p>
<p>Also, your local public library will provide you inter-library borrowing
access to a bunch of AP prep book that you can try out before you
settle down to buy the one that you are most comfortable with.</p>
<p>…also, whats with the negative handle…hope is all important</p>
<p>:)</p>
<p>ukhopeful: if you are aiming for UK unis, I would advise you to take several APs on the side - not so much to get in, but to prepare yourself better. UK unis start at a higher level than US colleges, and it typically takes 3 years to earn BA, BS, etc. The reason is that UK HS graduates are better prepared by means of A-levels (or IB) that US kids. A-levels are 2-year courses of study, and are generally significantly more in-depth than APs. Without making any assumptions about your abilities, it is very possible that you will struggle at UK uni without taking at least some AP classes.</p>