I’ll be going to a somewhat competitive high school next year and students start taking AP’s freshman year. By the end of junior year, I should have 6-7 AP’s taken at school and at least 3 additional self-studied AP’s, so I will probably have National AP Scholar on my college app. I know colleges don’t care much about self-studied AP’s or AP scores, but I know that most people get National AP Scholar senior year/after college apps. Would having this on my application make me stand out in anyway?
Most selective colleges discourage self-studying APs, saying that they’d rather see you doing other things in your spare time, and also state that admissions is not about who has the most APs. Most also state that AP scores play little role in admissions. Considering all this, is it likely that they will be wowed if you ignore their stated preferences in order to get the National AP scholar “award”? I would rethink your plan.
@mathyone Thank you! I’ve read some more on this and I think I will only study a few AP’s throughout high school that relate to my interests.
The only reason to self-study APs is to take the test to try to get credit for college…if your college will give you credit for that class.