<p>@ WannaBYalie </p>
<p>Comment: Oh my...9 APs... O= ... over-achievers...-shivers-. You'll be a Yalie then =P Err and I didn't answer your question, sorry ;)</p>
<p>Yes, it will be very impressive, even in Oregon, you will still be recognized. Remember, affirmative action apllies to most colleges, if you live in a place with limited educational support, winning that award would demonstrate your initiative, so, go for it. </p>
<p>(I wish I'm in Oregon, in California, 20 is still not enough!)</p>
<p>soph year when i first came to the US, i self studied AP chem only with princeton review. (and taking regular chem...but my regular chem class wasn't even enough to prepare SAT chem!) I got 5 and 800, respectively.
Junior year I self studied AP Calc AB and AP Computer Science A. Got a 4 on both, princeton review for calc, and barrons for CS. I guess I could have done better if i tried harder, since i spent a lot of time with other activities, but my point is that it is definitely doable. (Junior year i was taking IB English 1, AP Stats, AP Bio, and some other courses)</p>
<p>Im not sure if this is in the right section..</p>
<p>But i am a junior, and am planning on applying to pretty top notch university next year. I have a very strong resume but have only taken 1 AP Class (APUSH), although everything else is honors and I have a high weighted average. </p>
<p>I plan to take 5 or 6 APs next year (it just so happened that the tracks i began in 7th grade led me to only take 1 AP class this year)</p>
<p>Do you think it is a good idea to self study for one or two AP tests and also take the SATII in those classes which would look better on my apps? I keep going back and forth? Do you think i can score a five in lets say biolody (toke biology honors last year) if i self studied?</p>
<p>anyone have an suggestions? Anyone self studied before? how did u do on the tests? how did you go about studying?</p>
<p>THANKS A LOT=]</p>
<p>First off, if you are not able to take AP classes junior year and your school counselor explains that, it will not be held against you, especially if you have taken honors classes. You don't have to report your AP scores if you don't like them. Official AP score reports are only sent to the school in which you eventually enroll. In that respect, you don't lose anything other than the fee. Finally, 2 of my sons took AP classes where they didn't take the classes. They didn't even study. They just went in and took the tests based on the things that they had learned in their classes. (The high school didn't offer the classes.) They both earned 4s and 5s. </p>
<p>I think there is probably an AP prep book that you could get to help you study. At the very least, you should be able to find a list of the topics that are covered in the in class that should tell you what things will be covered on the test. </p>
<p>Regardless of your decision, you should take the SAT IIs.</p>
<p>I'm a freshman who's taking AP Statistics and plan on taking AP Calc BC next year as well as AP French. I'm new to AP's, but am intrigued by the prospect of studying certain courses independently. How do you go about that? Do you need a textbook as well as a prep book? And will the AP exams I take go on my transcript? Finally, is it necessary to take the SAT II's in addition to the AP exams? </p>
<p>Also, are there any reccommendations for prep books for AP Stat. and AP French?</p>
<p>
Well, you decide what you want to take and get approppiate materials to succeed.
[QUOTE]
Do you need a textbook as well as a prep book?
[/quote]
Depends. Most people here just use a prep book since they explain concepts pretty well.
[quote]
And will the AP exams I take go on my transcript?
[/quote]
Not if you self-study them...BUT, you can mention them under Additional Information in your common application and it'll look good :D.
[quote]
Finally, is it necessary to take the SAT II's in addition to the AP exams?
[/quote]
No. Though I don't see why you wouldn't :P
[quote]
Also, are there any reccommendations for prep books for AP Stat. and AP French?
[/quote]
Je ne sais pas pour Francais. For Statistics, I heard Barron's is good. :)</p>
<p>Merci beaucoup ansar! I've ordered the Barron's AP Stat book...</p>
<p>Oasis, just a question if you have time. I read most of this thread - you're a genius. How did you pull a 5 on AP Euro w/only REA's & like a few weeks of studying?</p>
<p>Good job. Advice to a self-studyer please? I'm reading a smattering amount of things & freaking out. Did you practice the FRQ at all? Wow. You're a genius.</p>
<p>Thanks for your time.</p>
<p>Hi...I know I'm a little late in the game, but I'm just now considering self-studying APs.</p>
<p>I didn't think self-studying would be a good idea in something like physics, but now I'm in a situation where if I don't, I won't be able to take the course in high school. Here's the deal: I'm a junior in AP Calc AB, getting high grades, and I'm in Honors Physics, getting just-okay grades. Next year, I'll be in Calc BC and probably Physics B. The thing is...part of the reason I'm not doing so great in physics now is that there's no advanced math in it. And that's really what I care about---math---so I want to take the physics course that has the most math. And that means Physics C. Which my school doesn't offer. Should I consider self-studying Physics C, or just go ahead and take Physics B (with, might I add, a very mediocre teacher)? I'm not too worried about the calculus involved in Physics C (because if I have trouble, I can get help from my calc teacher), but more of the, uh, physics part. And the labs! How do I do those on my own?!</p>
<p>I would recommend taking a class equivalent to Physics C at local community colleges, if that's not the option, then I would say the physics part is not the problem if you actually take the class for Physics B, Physics C just integrates calculus into the problems and equations, it should be understood through self studying, if you can't self study, go get a tutor and the lab is not a part of the AP Test, so, don't even bother to do the lab.</p>
<p>Thank you so much for this!</p>
<p>My counselor doesn't really understand why I would want to do this, so I needed something to go by.</p>
<p>Physics B seems to be the basis of all the AP sciences. It overlaps with (obviously) Physics C (I'd say over 40% of the material), and surprisingly, Chemistry (I'd say at least 20% of the material). The course covers everything from concept physics to molecular, and thermodynamics and nuclear (a large part of the chem).</p>
<p>I read on the first post that AP Calc was one of the difficult ones to self-study for. Is it impossible (or nearly) or would I stand a shot with enough self-prep?</p>
<p>What if I have AP psychology in my school. but there is also AP euro, econ, and comp gov, AP US gov and AP world...? </p>
<p>The thing is, I want to self-study AP psych EVEN THOUGH there is AP psych in the school -- so I can "get to the big APs" with the courses. </p>
<p>Should I self study AP psych? (Please, I'm quite worried about the colleges thinking I'm going to be lazy =P) -- cuz I'm not ;)</p>
<p>To Opie,</p>
<p>Unless you are extremely motivated, or have a very strong math background I wouldn't recommend self studying Calc AB. At the minimum I would recommend you get a private tutor if you really want to go through with this. Calc is one of the tricker AP's , IMO.</p>
<p>I've never taken an AP science class before...just AP Calc AB. Does this mean I shouldn't self-studying AP Physics C because B is the basis for all the sciences?</p>
<p>Self-studying AP physics C after already studying calculus is fine. One can never read too much about physics, but physics C is actually more interesting than physics B for someone who knows the math.</p>
<p>Condensing a few common queries here:</p>
<p>How do you self-study?</p>
<p>Self-studying is basically the act of studying for a subject on your own using study aids and then taking the AP exam in May to prove that you have the ability and the knowledge of the course, which college admission officers may view as an equivalent of having taken that course in a regular high school setting.</p>
<p>Most people who self-study rely exclusively on test prep material (Barrons, Princeton Review, REA, Cliff Notes...etc.) without the use of a textbook. Personally, I followed this route. Most people don't use a textbook while self-studying because for a lot of these self-studied exams that require more memorization than calculation (history, psych, env sci, hum geo, bio...for example), there's just simply too much information contained in textbooks that will not be tested (history is a good example - if you can follow broad historical trends and memorized key events/people outlined in prep books, you won't need a history textbook - which usually segues into long anecdotes or irrelevant information when taking an exam).</p>
<p>One begins the process ideally no later after January of the year you're going to take the AP exam (4 months prior) and really you just work through the prep books (the number of prep books to get is up to you - depends on how many you can work through before exam date). As you only have a limited amount of test questions, use the contained practice tests sparingly and only after you've gone through the prep book in its entirety. </p>
<p>For essay writing, I would recommend practicing with the prompts given in the prep books and comparing your result with the official essay grading rubrics. Although it might be difficult to find someone that would be able to evaluate the essay for you, it usually is sufficient if you just practice frequently with different prompts and remembering what the essay graders would be looking for (the essay rubric - you can usually find this in the prep books). If you run out of prompts, there's plenty more available online through Google.</p>
<p>This brings me to another point: many students reflected that throughout their preparation, they don't know whether they're on the "right track." If you are concerned, feel free to go online and look around AP webpages established by different high schools that offer that particular AP course. Some high schools have very extensive and well-maintained webpages with sample questions, essay prompts, and lesson summaries. By comparing your knowledge to the course content posted on the websites, you should have a better idea of the direction of your self-study.</p>
<p>In summary, I would say that if your exam requires essay-writing, make sure that you know how the essays work (read the prep book explanations carefully) and what your essay graders are looking for. Make sure that you can produce the required amount of essays in the given time constraint (important to practice lots before hand so you don't get surprised on test day!). Learn how to write legibly and accurately with speed.</p>
<p>If your exam requires calculations/FRQ (chem, phys, calc, for example), do lots of practice problems. If you run out of questions in the prep books, get a textbook and select sample problems in the areas that you are weaker in. If you get your practice questions wrong, look at the solutions and make sure you understand why the right answer is right! You don't learn until you figure out your mistakes.</p>
<p>If your exams require memorization (history, psych, bio, for example), START EARLY so you're assimilating the material, rather than force-feeding it! (it's not fun, trust me - prior experience).</p>
<p>How do you self-study in 3 weeks? 3 days?!</p>
<p>I personally don't recommend self-studying in a very short amount of time if you haven't done this before successfully. Ideally, knowledge is much better learned, rather than crammed. </p>
<p>I will admit that there were a couple of exams I studied for in just one week (due to massive procrastination beforehand), but this doesn't mean that it's the best way to approach the subject. Especially if this is your first time self-studying, I can't guarantee that you will be able to understand all of the material in a short amount of time, so you should start early in order to be safe.</p>
<p>Also, some subjects are easier to be self-studied for than others, and you should factor this into your preparation time. For example, if you don't have extensive practice beforehand, it would be difficult to do well in Calculus and Physics. If you don't take the time to dissect all the readings for history, it would also be very, very hard to cram 5000 years of world history in 5 days. </p>
<p>Getting credit?</p>
<p>I think some people are confused about self-studying AP exams with self-studying an AP course at school. </p>
<p>First, you don't get high school credit for doing this. This is different from courses at school that you can propose to self-study for approved high school credit (that counts towards your graduation requirement, for example).</p>
<p>The major difference is that your school usually requires a syllabus or a plan of study if you want credit for the course, and you probably have to have a proctor and set aside a period at school for the course. </p>
<p>Self-studying for AP exams is self-initiated and is designed to show academic initiative to colleges, rather than obtaining high school credit. Your high school has no part in this matter except probably ordering exams for you so you can take them in May.</p>
<p>Because of this fact, if you are thinking about self-studying via the method described in this thread, you should start BEFORE your senior year because colleges will only see the results of your self-study through your AP scores, which you get in July. When you self-study for AP exams in your senior year, you'll probably get the results after you graduate, and they wouldn't be useful in terms of college admissions. </p>
<p>Hope this clears up some questions that I've been getting about credit and self-studying for APs.</p>
<hr>
<p>Good luck and have fun this next AP season! =D</p>
<p>if I do self-study for eng composition, do i need to read a lot of novels?</p>