Self Study APs: Any boost?

<p>Hey everyone,</p>

<p>So to start off, please don't talk about not self studying just for college; I get it. Let's please answer the question.</p>

<p>I'm not at the application point yet, but is there any point in self studying an AP? </p>

<p>Do you get to put down your scores anywhere? And, will the admissions office even look at your sent scores, since it's used for skipping classes?</p>

<p>I heard a rumor somewhere on CC that self studying doesn't help admissions (but it does help saving money or learning more), since the scores are received by the registrar's office, and the admissions office only sees what AP classes you've taken. </p>

<p>Self studying does not help in admissions at all- it does not add course rigor. You can self report your scores on the application, but ap scores have little to no weight on admissions. Your scores are typically not officially sent until after you’ve been accepted and are committed to the school, so admissions won’t see the final official report. The only point to self studying APs is to gain college credit, especially in a course you find interesting, but your school doesn’t offer. If your school offers an AP, but you choose to self study instead, its not really looked at favorably-in fact, one admissions officer specifically said “please don’t do that”. Of course, its a different story if you absolutely cannot fit the class in your schedule, but you should try your best to make it fit rather than self study. Usually self-studying will not save you money because most schools have a cap on how many AP credits you can transfer, or will only allow you to use them for placement (so you wouldn’t have to take gen bio or english 101 for example). </p>

<p>In brief no. </p>

<p>@guineagirl96 Thank you for that answer. I was always under the impression self studying did help. </p>

<p>More importantly, I am self studying one (AP Computer Science) because I cannot fit it in my schedule, and I really want to learn it. Is there any way I should communicate this fact across to the admissions office?</p>

<p>I don’t mean to jack this thread, but why wouldn’t it help? Sure, if you’re studying AP Gov, AP Psych, etc. just fosho, then there’s probably no point in self-studying. However, I think a scenario like mine would call for self-studying…</p>

<p>I studied AP Chemistry over the summer, and I managed to finish the entire AP Chemistry syllabus. I’ve even studied more than the AP Chemistry curriculum itself because the textbook I was using went into stuff like molecular orbitals and the Arhennius (however you spell it) equation. I wanted to take the AP Chemistry class my neighboring school offers, since commuting to class has been done before, but my school district didn’t allow me to take it because <em>INSERT STUFF PREREQUISITES AND SUPERCILIOUS TEACHERS THAT NEVER EVEN REPLY TO YOUR BEGGING</em> stuff happened. Therefore, I might as well review a bit and take the AP Chemistry exam. I’m also thinking of doing Physics 1 because it genuinely interests me. I’m a sciencey guy.</p>

<p>All in all, I think it’s definitely worth self-studying if it’s meaningful to you and especially if your school/school district isn’t very cooperative. I don’t mean to come off as arrogant, but when I’m placed in a class that’s supposedly “college level,” even though it’s more diluted than a community college Chemistry counterpart and a place to buy $20 narcotics, I feel a bit slighted. Self-studying APs for admissions and credit shouldn’t be an end goal but rather a reward you pick up along the way, so ask yourself this… Are you in it to learn and explore your passion or to look good on paper?</p>

<p>P.S.
I’m not kidding about $20 narcotics.</p>

<p>@jeff935‌, I don’t know why you’re acting all cynical and trolling everyone in these forums. If you don’t want to read my “garbage,” nobody’s forcing you to. 8-> </p>

<p>Edit:
Did a moderator delete his posts O_o?</p>

<p>@Newdle‌ Self studying is good for knowledge and all, but it doesn’t help college admissions, because the office doesn’t actually see your scores. You can self report them, but that’s the most you can do. The admissions office sees the classes you’ve taken and the grades in those classes. </p>

<p>In most cases, it would not help much, if at all, in admission. However, why should anyone just focus on the admission process? </p>

<ol>
<li>You can send in any information you want, including AP scores, that you think will help them evaluate you.</li>
<li>AP scores are typically not available until after the score year ends, and so are not required.</li>
<li>If you DO self-report scores, they will be considered (with the caveat that if they find out later the self-reported score was incorrect, you risk having your admission offer rescinded). Everything you send them before they read your application will be considered.</li>
<li>As a general rule, admissions will not care about an AP test grade nearly as much as a class grade. It might confirm your class grade, or you might earn an A in a tough year long course and then have a lousy illness on AP test day. They don’t put a huge amount of weight on it. Mostly it’s only useful to get you advanced placement in your major requirements (which is why they call them AP, I suppose), long after you’ve been admitted.</li>
<li>Self studying is basically worthless for admissions purposes. Literally anyone can claim to self-study and plan to take the test. At least when you register for a class you know the grade will go on your transcript, including mid term grades; with self-study AP, there is absolutely nothing until long after offers have been sent out and deposits have been sent back. You tell them you are self-studying for 3 AP tests, and end up not taking them in May; how should admissions weight that intention in February?</li>
</ol>

<p>@FCCDAD‌ my intention was to self study the APs I feel will help me in admissions during my junior year. The others that I want to self study just to learn or for college, I will do senior year. This way, I will have the ap scores that I want to boost my admissions ready by senior year. If I do it like that, will it be any help to my application?</p>

<p>Admissions cares about AP tests. Some even ask to see the scores for admission. If you are a junior and are self studying to take in May and will have a score to show admissions you can put that in you applications next year. Why people are saying a score doesn’t matter is beyond me here–a 5 or 4 absolutely matters.</p>

<p>

No.</p>

<p>If your school offers the course, colleges will prefer that you take the course. Self studying does not impress them. 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.</p>

<p>

AP Scores are self-reported; if colleges factored the scores in admissions, they would require a score report with the application. Many bright, talented kids go to schools with no access to AP courses. College admissions will not reject them simply because they did not have the opportunities. On the flip side, they will not give a major boost to a candidate with several 5’s. They will, however, factor in AP courses into the candidate’s course rigor, provided that the school offered the courses. AP scores are only used for potential college credit/course placement in the vast majority of cases.</p>

<p>Unfortunately, there seems to be quite a few posts for either side…</p>

<p>I think if you’re a student whose schools offers a very limited number of APs or none (for example, only AP calc when you want to go into Humanities), taking the initiative to self-study some APs will look good. </p>

<p>@FuzzyPeaches22 Thanks! That’s definitely what I’m doing, but if it doesn’t help admissions, I could simply push it over to my senior year.</p>

<p>Note that AP score report is usually directed to the registrar office, not admission office. Also, many schools do not have that many AP classes that using AP score for admission purpose would not be fair to the students do not have access to that. The adcom will look at your AP score though as a way to check if your school has any grade inflation.</p>

<p>The problem with using AP scores is that there are too many unknowns. A student could have been sick, had death in the family, exhausted, someone was loud in his/her testing environment and the list goes on. It’s much more reliable to use the student’s grade in the class rather than the score they got on paper. </p>

<p>As stated many times above, self-studying is a good idea if there aren’t any AP classes for the subject but otherwise just wait to take the class or DE at a local university. </p>

<p>My D’s HS reports AP scores on the transcript so I think scores do matter when adcoms can evaluate scores within the context of the particular HS and the class grade itself. </p>

<p>@QuadMaster Obviously there are the bad points, but would having good scores give a boost at all? In comparison to others with similar resources and also self reported scores.</p>

<p>Maybe you can create an independent study with your guidance counselor or teacher’s help. On the college board website there are examply syllabi you could follow and document. There are also online AP courses you can take. If the AP score didn’t matter in admissions, then why do they frown on students taking just the course and not the test?
Taking the test shows initiative and fortitude. Go for it!</p>