Hello CC. So to begin with I’m currently a sophomore, and a complete newbie when it comes to these big tests like the SAT/ACT and AP exams and whatnot, this post may seem pretty trivial. Be that as it is, please bear with me. Alright, here we go. My school does NOT offer a wide variety of AP courses. In fact, all we have is AP Calc in our senior year, which I find pretty ridiculous. Because of this, I started worrying about my uni admission, because I’d probably have a very underwhelming application compared to the other peeps. This is why I decided to self study some AP courses ASAP so that I can take the exams in my junior year. My question is, when should I start to self study? I feel like if I start too early, I won’t be able to retain information as well, because of the stretched learning time. Would starting later, say, six months before the exam be better? When’s the optimal time? And also, in my junior year I’m taking biology 11/12 integrated ( year long course), but I also want to self study for AP biology while i’m taking the integrated course. Would that be a bad idea? thank you for your insight
The thing is, self studying AP won’t be an equivalent to taking the class. In fact, all that could be on your transcript would be the AP scores, which don’t really matter. When you are applying to college, the college will probably take into account your class schedule in context of the school you are coming from. As long as you took the most rigorous course load that your school offers, then you won’t be at a disadvantage.
You won’t be looked upon as an inferior applicant so long as you took the most rigorous courses offered by your school. I’m sure you could self-study AP bio and other AP’s like psychology and US history etc.
Your guidance counselor will send a list of the most rigorous courses to colleges. Instead of spending it on exams you might bot even fo well on, why don’t you try working on some impressive EC’s instead? Internships and some small summer academies are an excellent use of your time, and provide work experience. I’ve found some more interesting courses online for free. If you really want to take some AP’s, I would buy some prep books and self-study using them. However, I would suggest that you only self-study if you’re interested in them. I’ve heard Psych and Human Geography are a really easy 5’s, but only if you like the topic. Of course, when I say ‘easy’, I mean easy for an AP course; a regular or honors class would typically be easier than any AP.
If you want to self study an AP Course, self study one of the following
Human geo
Psychology
Envi Sci
Government
I wouldn’t recommend self studying any other APs. Unless you are really willing to work hard