Dear College Confidential,
I am an upcoming junior with 2 (self-studied) APs under my belt (Micro and Macro economics). Next year, I intend to take 5-6 more AP exams- 2 courses (biology and world history) and 3-4 exams (statistics, english language, psychology, and MAYBE chemistry). Now, I would like to ask: how effective are self-studied APs? would they completely emulate the impact of an AP class?
AP scores in general carry little to no weight in the college admissions process. Self-studying carries even less weight. Do it if the school does not offer the subject and you are interested for your own purposes. Don’t do it to impress colleges; they won’t be.
Does your school offer AP classes? If so, then you should focus on those classes. Self studying would help you gain the knowledge that you would get from the AP class, so if it is for personal interest/college credit then it would be useful. Otherwise, it would waste a lot of time(if you are doing it for college admissions) since even self reported AP scores have little weight.
If you are trying to do it for admissions, you should probably do something like focusing on extracurriculars or volunteer work since that would be more productive.
Alright, I’ll give a bit more information about myself. My school has 20+ AP classes but there are strict limits on how many classes I am allowed to take. I am only allowed to take 2 AP courses next year. Therefore, I would like to get make up for the low number of AP courses I can take with AP tests. And yes, I am doing so to impress the colleges.
From personal experience, 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.
Would there be any other ways to make up for a relatively unimpressive course schedule?
It actually does impressive colleges. Maybe not a ton, but it shows he has personal responsibility and had made the most of his educational opportunities. More AP’s can only strengthen your application.
He’s an international applicant; AP’s are primarily USA/Canada tests. Colleges are expecting applicants to maximize the educational resources available to them within their curriculum, not to invent educational opportunities.
I see. I have a 3.95/4.0 GPA but am lacking APs. Would I be able to go to more prestigious universities even with such parameters? My school has plans for me to take a maximum of 5 AP (including the 2 for my junior year) classes before I graduate.
The lack of AP’s will not impact your application. Plenty of schools in the US, at all levels of the socioeconomic spectrum do not offer AP classes for a variety of reasons and they have students admitted to top colleges every year. Whether you will me admitted to one of these “more prestigious universities” is unknown, but if you are not, it is not for lack of AP’s.
Okay, that sounds cool. There’s some APs I’m self-studying because they’re related to my major. Would taking these tests be bad or would they be seen in a positive light?
Neutral.
By all means self study a subject for personal fulfillment. If you’re lucky, you might get some college credit out of it. Just don’t do this (or anything for that matter) simply to impress others; it won’t.