<p>I'm a junior right now and I'm going to be applying to CMU SCS next year. I've heard that it's good to express in an interest in programming with the classes you take, but my school doesn't offer any particularly high-level classes in programming so I wouldn't be learning anything new, and I would be using up a spot in my schedule that would be better used on a different class. </p>
<p>My question is whether or not self-studying AP Computer Science A would give me any advantage in admissions. I already know pretty much all of the material, so it wouldn't require much effort on my part, but I don't want to spend an extra $87 on taking an AP test that CMU wouldn't even care about.</p>
<p>Yes, having a 5 on APCSA would be a very good thing for an application to SCS.</p>
<p>The reason for this is that there tends to be a wide variance in what SCS applicants come in “knowing.” There are those who have been traditionally taught through AP courses at their high school or classes at the local college, and then there are others who are self-taught (which I would say is a good portion of the school). </p>
<p>“Self-taught” students may sometimes come in claiming, “I know Python/C#/Perl” but there’s really no basis for it unless they have some demonstrated work on a personal website or have taken a class and have a grade to show for it. </p>
<p>What one person considers to be “knowing a language well” may be entirely different from what someone else considers to be the same. The AP test is a way to standardize how much you really know and show your mastery of skills that are thought to be important across the board. </p>
<p>tldr: it’ll give you street cred to take the test. It’s worth it.</p>