Hi, I submitted my Stanford REA application yesterday without my AP Scholar with Distinction award. I found an older CC thread where someone recommended not submitting it because it’s redundant if AP scores are also there, which made sense to me at the time. But I just realized that this logic doesn’t work because I didn’t get a chance to self-report AP scores as part of the Common App.
There’s obviously no point in worrying about it now, but should I add the award to the Honors section for future applications? Would it help if I send official AP scores now so they have the info?
Possibly the least important award out there. Put it on if it makes you happy, but I have yet to see or hear any evidence of it making a difference in admissions.
You earn that award simply for achieving a 3 or more on at least five exams.
That you got a 3 or more on 5 exams stands on its own merits - so that award is them just giving people something to feel good about - but it has little meaning.
I don’t think it hurts to have it on there but I don’t think it helps.
Those AP scores - the 3+ (well not at Stanford) is what helps.
Yes, that’s why I’m wondering if submitting the scores will help, because otherwise they wouldn’t be aware of my AP scores at all. I’m not saying that the award means more than just sending scores. I have three 5s and two 4s.
In general, it looks like they take 5s but a few 4s.
Let’s say you put the award and didn’t submit tests - they’d wonder - why didn’t the student submit the tests?
If you take the classes but don’t submit any tests, they’ll wonder the same.
So there’s no easy way around it. The classes are on your transcript. They know you took them. So if you don’t submit them, that could be held against you.
Well, I don’t know how I managed to miss that even after reviewing the entire application before submitting, but I only reported my ACT score in that section and missed the option for AP scores… I’ve added all my AP scores to the Common App now and sent official scores to Stanford in hopes that it helps and doesn’t look like I intentionally avoided reporting them. Definitely won’t make that mistake again, but I guess I just have to make the best of it now. Thanks so much for pointing that out!
Just in case this happens to anyone else in the future: The application portal has an update form that can be used to self-report AP scores, so this isn’t actually a problem.
My son also did not report AP test scores to the schools he has applied to so far, although he did submit his SAT score (mid 1500s). He has a 3.95 UW, 4.7 W. AP and GT heavy transcript, including in his senior year. He has 5 tests on which he scored 4’s and 2 tests on which he scored 5’s. The 5’s are in the subject of his intended major.
He didn’t intentionally omit them. His guidance counselor at our large public high school advises that they are unnecessary for application purposes. He didn’t think twice about it, our high school is well known for being high achieving and most attend college, and some very selective colleges. So she is experienced. But it sounds like this practice may have changed in the last few years.
So my question to you more experienced parents and professionals out there, any downsides of submitting 4’s, particularly to selective schools? Will he be dinged for not having all 5’s?
My two (unhooked) kids submitted their AP scores on the Common App and included all scores – mostly 4s and 5s, but each of them had one 3 that they also included. We went back and forth on how to handle this but finally submitted everything. Both kids are now at Duke.
For context, our HS does not typically send more than one or two kids max to T20 schools, so our view was that submitting the standardized scores would help support high GPAs from a rural HS unknown to admissions offices at those top schools. We also thought it would look a little odd to have AP classes listed on a HS transcript and then not submit scores – leaving the admissions officers with little choice but to assume the unsubmitted scores are probably low.
If it were me, I’d submit the 4s, but obviously your HS counselor may have better visibility on how your son stands relative to other students at your school.
Ok I’m not sure I agree with you about the assumption. There are many reasons student don’t take AP exams, cost being one of them (our school does not subsidize then) and the fact that many colleges don’t provide the credits. That negative assumption you posit isn’t even the case with SAT and ACT scores anymore. So why would they assume his scores were poor when he has a mid 1500 SAT score, all A’s in AP classes, and a very rigorous schedule and high GPA at a top performing public high school?
I totally understand the rationale of submitting them to help, especially if your high school is small or less known, but I question whether not submitting them harms you. What are you basing that on?
I agree - and don’t think at most schools AP scores matter much, if at all. If you don’t submit, you are essentially saying you’ll take the class again.
But I also agree that it’s human nature to assume a bad score if not submitted.
If one doesn’t submit an SAT/ACT, that’s an assumption of not a great score. Same with AP.
Now many schools are test optional and you see the percentage that submits and it’s low at many schools, including many with strong reps.
That’s a function of - they need students beneath their perceived level to make a class work. They need their presence and they need their revenue.
A school like Syracuse for example - fine school - my alma mater - they still need a ton of full pay or near full pay kids to make the class. If they weren’t TO, they’d be letting in 900s, 1000s, 1100s, etc. - so now that the arms race has gone out of control and the #s are artificially high, there’s no going back.
Tufts is elite and last year - 54% submitted a test. Do you really think the other 46% couldn’t access it?
So they have to let kids in that if #s were submitted and published, would hurt their overall brand.
That’s the reality.
A low or no test is happening for a reason - and I would venture to say cost isn’t that reason - in the high majority of cases. It’s simply a score that doesn’t match the “reputation” of the school.
Those kids are getting a pass !! And likely have $$$ to pay - especially those getting in at need aware schools (like Tufts where 2/3 are full pay).
I agree that schools are benefitting, TO is artificially inflating average SAT scores since at least half of the the students are not submitting anymore, and it’s not because they can’t access the test. So it’s win-win for both the TO student and the school.
The process for submitting AP scores for credit is outside of the admission process. He’ll definitely seek credit if allowed by his eventual school.
For what it’s worth, I know of kids who landed at ultra competitive schools who did not submit AP scores but did submit SAT and ACT scores.
My advice is submit the 4s and 5s. Both are excellent scores: read through acceptance threads of many top schools and you will see a large pile of all 5s is very rare:all 4s and 5s in 5 or more tests (after junior yr) is plenty impressive.
In some cases submitting a 3 may even make sense. Our school puts them on the transcript (and if kids don’t take the test they lose AP designation and the gpa bump). They have kids list them on the common app even though they are on the transcript, and the school recommends a specific order that seems to be slightly different based on kid and score but when all scores are 5 it seems to be hardest test/class first. A colleague at a nearby private reports similar counselor advice re self-reporting.
Yes I don’t agree with the previous comments about assuming low scores if you don’t submit the scores. However, at one of the Top 20 schools admission webinars they did note they like to see AP scores because it gives them more data about the student. The AO noted that we would be surprised to see how many students get straight As on transcripts but do horribly on AP tests which they said tells them a lot. So if you have good scores, it will tremendously help them see that the student really learned the material and translated on the test esp since many high schools inflate grades.