<p>well anyway i got a 3 in chem and i guess its well deserved becauzse i slept thru most of class but still kept my 4.0 and All A's. </p>
<p>anyways, that was the only AP i took last year, and im takin all APs next year and will sharpen up. but i was wondering, am i able to cancel the ap scores and keep the new ones i get?</p>
<p>but i heard that if u cancel a score after u get the score, it is called a strikeout whihc means that colleges know that u took out one of ur scores. is that the same messages as colleges knowin that u didnt do so well on an ap test? so might as well keep it right??? </p>
<p>I know this is mean, but I just can't take not saying anything anymore. Omar - I hate people like you.</p>
<p>This system is *<strong><em>ed up when it lets somebody who sleeps through class and can't even get a five on an AP test grab a 4.0 GPA, and even more *</em></strong>ed up when the AP score isn't taken into much consideration at all next to the GPA.</p>
<p>With so many schools, and so many extenuating circumstances, and thus the increased impossibility of a grade from one teacher in Oregon meaning the same thing as that grade from one in Texas or even across the hallway from her classroom, I cannot contain my anger at how lazy people who don't even bother to learn everything they can about a subject (ie getting a 3 on an AP) get into good colleges because of meaningless numbers like GPAs that don't even show any real level of competency.</p>
<p>I'm sorry that I hate you. It's not even your fault, it's the way college admissions works in this country. But I do.</p>
<p>Yes thank you. I think APs SHOULD be a factor in college admissions. How can colleges not think that they are a major part? Also many students rely on AP grades to boost their GPA.</p>
<p>sciencenerd, no they shouldn't. AP scores are even worse than a GPA because they are curved beyond belief, and there are only five numbers to receive. Besides, there are people who can't afford them, and people who just don't have the time to take millions of them like some people do.</p>
<p>If anything, I would think that colleges don't like to see these huge lists of 5's. Why would they want to accept someone who's going to receive so much credit from them and possibly graduate early, not having to pay as much tuition as they expect? I'd laugh my ass off if I found out this is true, it's what the show-offs deserve.</p>
<p>^ at least it's standardized though...at my school getting an A in AP Chem is a HUGE achievement. in the neighboring town, 90% of their AP Chem class gets A's. However, when AP exams come around, we're all taking the same test.</p>
<p>also...</p>
<p>"it's what the show-offs deserve"</p>
<p>-wow are you just feeling inferior that there are thousands of people smarter than you?</p>
<p>I agree PKswmr76, AP exams not only test students on the material that they were supposed to learn in the school year, but also introduce students to college-level work. AP exams are a good way to see if applicants are capable of doing college work and passing a college-level examination. GPA is a bad measurements of academic skill because it varies from school to school; AP exams make up for that.</p>
<p>Even though they deny it, many top colleges consider AP exams in the admissions process. On two supplements (Yale and Princeton), there is a specific section to report them. If they don't consider AP score, then why do they put it on the application? Having good (3 or above) AP scores can help an applicant, but having a bad score can lead a admissions officer to grade inflation in the school. But standardized scores aren't everything, so din't stress about your 3 in chem.</p>
<p>I mean APs shouldn't be a major part, but still some small part.</p>
<p>What if Person A and B each take 6 AP exams? A gets 4s and 5s and B 1s and 2s. Due to studying so much maybe A can't do as many ECs as B. B doesn't study hard, but takes many APs.</p>
<p>This SHOULD be a thing that admissions people see. Otherwise it'd be unfair.</p>
<p>Also gettting good grades on APs and in school in showing off? I don't understand.</p>
<p>Why do you think they don't play any factor? I think they do use them a little, if only to relate the class grade to class difficulty. If you got an A in the class and a 1 on the test (completely possible, I know some people lol), then that puts the class/school's grading system into perspective.</p>
<p>What if Person A and B each take 6 AP exams? A gets 4s and 5s and B 1s and 2s. Due to studying so much maybe A can't do as many ECs as B. B doesn't study hard, but takes many APs.</p>
<p>This SHOULD be a thing that admissions people see. Otherwise it'd be unfair.</p>
<p>Also gettting good grades on APs and in school in showing off? I don't understand.
colleges know that you aren't obligated to take AP exams... Many people don't, due to being unable to afford, etc....</p>
<p>^^yeah, but some states (like GA) let you take one test for $5 and if you have free/reduced lunch, you don't have to pay a cent. But not all states offer this, so I get your point.</p>
<p>I agree with the APs should count for more argument. I HATE the gpa and class rank system at my school because many of the best students are really quite miserably ranked (unweighted, hard grading ap classes, inflated grades in regular classes). I almost failed the BC calc class and I was working really hard in the class. However, after all that I ended up doing really well on the AP test (5 with ease). Its super frustrating that colleges are going to prioritize my grade instead of my test score. I mean, shouldnt a nationally standardized test count more than the weird system my school uses?</p>
<p>It makes a difference. It definitely looks good on the app to take many AP's and get 4's/5's. Shows a love of learning (that the colleges like) and readiness to take college-level classes and succeed in them. Whereas if you didn't take a lot AP's, they'll know you didn't take a rigorous workload, or you weren't willing to challenge yourself. If you took an AP class but not the test (or you did bad, or you cancelled your scores), it'll show that you aren't committed to going the whole way. So yes, one bad AP score won't kill you, but several bad ones will. And several good ones will really, really help.</p>
<p>FWIW, last year's valedictorian at my school took 12 AP tests, got 5's on all of them, and was accepted to Harvard.</p>
<p>^If you didn't take AP's it shows nothing. Who says all schools offer them? You're all thinking of your own situations. </p>
<p>Of course, if somebody takes AP's and gets 1's they should be put below an applicant who scores 5's (only on those same exams, though), but a person who lists no AP's should not automatically be put below either of them.
I never said getting good grades was showing off. The people showing off are the ones coming on here, many in Freshman year, saying "Ok next year I'm taking these 4 AP's, and then junior year I'll take these 6 and probably self-study this one, and then senior year (so I can be National AP Scholar OMG RECOGNITION!!!!!) I will take 10 AP's while self-studying the 2 that are left on the list..." And that's so many people. If you want proof for the fact that this is showing-off and not ambition, check the many threads/posts asking what the easiest AP's to self-study for are. Easiest, not most rewarding.</p>
<p>Admit it, half of you on here take the AP's just so you can look good, and I don't mean only for colleges. wxmann, how many of those 5's do you think Harvard even gave credit to the kid for? My guess is 0, and my guess is also that the valedictorian did not care at all. </p>
<p>My school is considered pretty competitive, but few kids take the maximum number of AP's you can (which is seven). And the one or two kids who do are thought of as crazy. But yes, kids who don't even take the maximum number still get into ivy leagues (only mentioning that because this is the standard and ultimate goal for most of you on here, not that it means much). </p>
<p>As for the standardized tests, there are SATII's for that. There's a much wider score range, and greater availability seeing that you can take them every month and since many schools give fee waivers for those. Note how many people discuss "this curve was high, this curve was low" when discussing AP scores. That really lets us know that they're more trustworthy than grade inflation, doesn't it?</p>
<p>I'm going to agree with everyone here who says APs don't matter in admission.</p>
<p>I'd also like to say that certain people in here need to stop pretending to know what "colleges like to see". I see way too many people make statements like "colleges like to see this" or "adcoms like students who do that" when they have absolutely no idea. Unless you have had experience in an admissions office, or have been through the process, or know someone who works in admissions, you should refrain from making such statements. I avoid stating as truth things that I don't know for sure.</p>
<p>A lot of what I know is from A is for Admissions, a book written by a former admissions officer at Dartmouth.</p>
<p>How rigorous classes are is important. If you're at the top of your class, and have taken a plethora of AP's, it looks better than if you're at the top and have taken few or none. Also, according to the admissions officer, Ivy league adcoms love people who have a passion for learning.</p>
<p>I'm not thinking of my situation. I have no EC's so I won't get into an Ivy League. But for those who do aspire to such schools, it would be in their best interest to challenge themselves and take AP's. For me, I'm taking APUSH next year to increase my knowledge of politics, AP Physics & AP Calc BC b/c I'm interested, and AP Bio because I need Bio credits. </p>
<p>Colleges know what HS's don't have AP's. They take that into consideration. Obviously if one can only take 3 AP's at a certain HS, and a certain student takes them, the colleges will see and be impressed.</p>
<p>FWIW, the valedictorian I was talking about was very social, was a science buff, and had a life. I don't know him personally, so I don't know if he was showing off or not.</p>
<p>As for the members on this site who self-study to show off, so be them. Does it help? I'm sure it does show a passion for learning which certainly does not hurt.</p>