<p>my school doesn't offer any aps, so i was thinking about doing ap through independent study. if i get a bad grade however (3 or below), will columbia take it as "she did poorly on her aps" or "she challenged herself and studied independently for her aps"?</p>
<p>This is a loaded question, but the basic idea is that your admission will not really hinge on a 3 vs. a 4 on one AP test. They're looking at your entire academic record.</p>
<p>Nowhere on Columbia's application does it ask for AP scores. They do, however, look at the difficulty of your courseload. If they see you are doing an independent study (I suppose supervised by a teacher) in an AP class, that should be enough. I don't really think they care so much about your AP score.</p>
<p>AP sends those stickers to the high schools to put on transcripts. Depending on your HS, they may go to Columbia whether you want them to or not.</p>
<p>I agree; you should find out if your school sends AP scores. My son's school did not.</p>