Not Reporting any APs

Applying to College
1

I am currently a junior who has taken 11 APs, including this year. I have gotten As in all of my AP classes throughout high school but I have not done too well on my AP tests. I have one 5, five 4s, and five 3s.(projecting scores for this year) Obviously this is a lot of 3s so if I just don’t report any of my scores will this hurt me in admission to ivy leagues and other top universities? Do SAT Subject Tests weigh more than AP scores? For context, my weighted GPA is around a 4.8 and I have numerous leadership positions in and out of school.

2

I would self report the 4s and 5.

3

Fret not…colleges are much more concerned about your grades in those classes as opposed to the AP tests.

Why is that?

  1. Doing well in a class shows you can learn over the year and work hard over a period of time. That is what they want in college.
  2. Not all HS have many APs.
  3. Many people take AP tests senior year which is too late for admissions

For example, Stanford says:
Students currently enrolled in AP courses are not required to submit AP scores as part of our admission process. AP scores that are reported are acknowledged but rarely play a significant role in the evaluation of an application. Grades earned over the course of a term, or a year, and evaluations from instructors who can comment on classroom engagement provide us with the most detailed insight into a student’s readiness for the academic rigors of Stanford.
http://admission.stanford.edu/basics/selection/prepare.html

Where does this leave you?

  1. It tells you that you cannot place out of all of those classes in college…you will need to take them in college like many many other people do.
  2. Do not self-report all your scores i f possible
4

Not necessarily more concerned about grades, since different hs (even diff teachers) grade differently. One point of “standardized” tests is to try to level.

OP, you’ve only got one 5. The competition is fierce. If you only present the 5 and 4s, what do you expect adcoms will think about the missing scores?

Some kids omit one or two scores that have no relevance to their potential major. But it’s tough to think you’ll show 11 AP in the transcript and only report one 5 and five 4s. It can be like waving a red flag.

I hope this isn’t about Stanford level colleges. Saying AP scores are not “required” is not saying they don’t matter. In that sort of competition, every bit matters. Tons of kids will report all scores, all - or nearly every one- a 5.