<p>So I know colleges want to see you taking the toughest courses you can, but how much does that matter in terms of self studies?
My school offers AP Psych, for example, only for seniors and as a junior I want to self study it. So then I won't be taking it on senior year, and hence won't technically be taking all the toughest courses my school has to offer, just the tests. This is the same for AB Calc and English Lang. Is it just better to take it in school and do that?</p>
<p>I'm self studying a lot of APs not offered at my school, like Human Geo, Environmental, and World History. When I apply to college, will they see that I've taken these tests (I'd only submit them if I passed lol)?</p>
<p>I'm hoping to have 13 APs done by the time I graduate, is that too many? I'm not sure. </p>
<p>I realize this i like 3 different questions but if ya'll could respond that'd be great :)</p>
<p>Kudos to you for the self study! Honestly, I don’t think I would be able to study all those subjects by myself like you can. :)</p>
<p>What would you be taking instead of AP Psych then for your senior year? An “easy” course? Are you going for the easy senior year feel? Although I am a senior in high school, I feel like colleges won’t like us slacking in our senior year. So if there aren’t any other challenging courses you would be able to take, I’d save it for senior year. Or, if your state has a program like Youth Options (I’m from Wisconsin), you may be allowed to take classes from a nearby college.</p>
<p>There really isn’t a spot to say you’ve self-studied (in the Common App at least), so for the self-studied courses, I’d get a guidance counselor to write about how you went above and beyond to do that. You can self report your AP scores if you want though (on the Common App), and then colleges could see you’ve taken those tests even though they are not on your transcript as classes you took in high school. If you choose not to submit your tests, I do not believe there is any other way for colleges to know you’ve self studied. Maybe unless written in a report by your guidance counselor? I’d ask him/her about that.</p>
<p>13 APs is awesome (well at least in my opinion), I myself will have 14 done by the end of this school year.</p>
<p>If your school offers the class, it is better to take the class. self studying a class that exists makes little sense, and will certainly not impress college admissions with your resourcefulness.</p>
<p>In terms of self studying, last Spring, I went to an Exploring College Options event, which had reps from Harvard, Stanford, Penn, Duke, and Georgetown. 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. </p>
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Depending on the university, these 3 are among the ones that are least likely to earn college credit. So this is a case where, except for personal satisfaction, you could have nothing to show for your efforts.</p>
<p>I agree with @billscho but would also ask what is your goal in taking all these AP’s? If you’re doing it to enhance your chances of admission, then I think it is not beneficial. (We had the same experience as @skieurope of hearing the Exploring College Options panel actively discourage self study of “extra” AP’s over and above what’s available at your school.) If you’re doing it for personal growth and satisfaction, that’s fine as long as it doesn’t make your GPA suffer or detract from your ability to participate in EC’s etc. If you’re doing it for college credit, then it pays to know the policy of your intended college(s). A lot of them will limit the units of credit awarded, or only award credit for certain AP’s and not others.</p>
<p>^^This. Look at some of your potential colleges and see how they give credit for APs. Some limit the number. The university my youngest attends pretty much accepts everything with 3 or above but even there it doesn’t necessarily help. Many of the courses as @skieurope noted will not really help you. Depending on your major, you may only need one course in a category (social science, etc) and having more won’t help. It’s just a time drain for you.</p>
<p>Taking all that school offers also may mean you end up with worthless credit, but it does show you are taking most rigorous courseload…but not self-study.</p>
<p>As long as you are doing really well in the courses, take as many as you can. EVERY school we have visited has been kind of blown away when they find out my son will have completed 17, and so far, all 5’s on 10 of them, he will be able to get credit in all of them. At Harvard, with 5’s, on 6(or 8?) AP’s you can finish in 3 years, saving 60,000+ dollars. At any other school, you have the opportunity to study so many courses you might not have been able to fit in your schedule. Do what you can do. </p>
<p>Actually, at many schools one may graduate in 3 years with 5-7 AP in great scores depending on your major. Nevertheless, having more AP would not help to further shorten the time for graduation. Not only there may be limit on the amount of AP credits, most credits would be for 100/200 level courses that are more likely to be counted as electives. Having too many elective credits would not help your graduation and may cost you more in tuition in some cases.</p>
<p>It is important to have AP classes on your transcript and the grades. If you only have the AP scores, a lot of higher schools won’t really look at them as much.</p>