Self-Studying APs: Improving Your App

<p>I’m still debating over myself weather i should self-study AP language and APUSh…hm</p>

<p>I’m going to self-study quite a few this upcoming year. </p>

<p>Main thread: <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/ap-tests-preparation/1342061-big-self-study-initiative-multiple-aps.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/ap-tests-preparation/1342061-big-self-study-initiative-multiple-aps.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Physics C thread (already started on Physics C): <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/sciences/1349728-official-physics-c-self-study-thread-2012-2013-a.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/sciences/1349728-official-physics-c-self-study-thread-2012-2013-a.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>How do colleges see the AP Exams you self studied when you apply for college? For example I’m a senior of class of 2013, and I plan on self studying AP Art History and maybe psych, but when I apply to colleges this fall of 2012 I want colleges to see that,</p>

<p>How many of the 8 math/science classes (Environmental, Bio, Chem, Physics E/M, Physics Mechanics, Calc BC, Stats, Computer Science) do the winners of the Siemens Award for Advanced Placement take? Assuming you get a 5 on every one, would you have to take all 8 exams to have a shot at the award?</p>

<p>I’ll be taking Physics C next year, both exams. Does each exam count separately towards the AP National Scholar Award?</p>

<p>Also, how is AP Computer Science A to self study? I have prior programming experience in Python and BASIC, but it’s not very extensive. Does AP CS go beyond the basics?</p>

<p>What llpitch said I’m wondering too.</p>

<p>For the record, I self-studied Calc AB and Japanese, two that apparently should never be self-studied. I have no idea what my scores are, nor do I care to get them early.</p>

<p>My school offers no AP classes so I have to resort to taking them online or doing them through self study. I moved halfway through the year so I had to stop taking my courses through an actual class and had to start taking them online. In my opinion, online is so much harder so I would prefer not to take any online this year. Even though I was enrolled online I mostly self-studied for the tests. I found that that was much easier. I didn’t have to work on huge projects that didn’t exactly fit for the exam. And I did very well on the exams which I think was all from the self study.</p>

<p>So this next year I will take AP Lit, AP Psychology, and hopefully AP World History and maybe AP Art History. How are each of these for self-study? I’m planning on self study for AP Psychology. I’m not sure what self-study for AP Lit would be like so I will most likely take that online-though I’d rather not. What would AP lit be like self-study? I really would like to take AP World History and AP Art History but I can’t take them if they are online. How would they be for self-study?</p>

<p>AP Enviro and Psych</p>

<p>Are textbooks required for these self-studies?</p>

<p>OR</p>

<p>Will Barron’s AP Psych and Princeton Review AP Enviro suffice?</p>

<p>Can anyone advise me on selfstudying AP Chem? I know it’s generally frowned upon, but my school doesn’t offer an AP Chem class. I’m selfstudying using the Zumdahl textbook, but I don’t want to miss out on lab experience; anyone have any advice to get the most out of the book, since I’m actually genuinely interested in chem labs?</p>

<p>Can it hurt you if u get a 4 on a history ap test (ap euro) if your major is not related. Also, do only the ap scores from freshmen year to junior account, or is it all 4 years of highschool. I am taking the majority of my ap teat senior year. If senior did not count i would only have taken around 5/6 ap tests, but if senior year did count i would have taken around 11/12.</p>

<p>Sent from my SPH-D710 using CC</p>

<p>Senior year tests will generally old factor in for class placement not for admittance.</p>

<p>Let’s just face the facts here. Self-studies probably matter in admissions as much as being in NHS; i.e. It doesn’t matter. So, deciding which AP to study based on what you might think is more impressive is ridiculous and pointless.</p>

<p>However, IF you’re genuinely interested in a subject (or need credit for it in college) then taking AP’s by yourself is beneficial and can actually be enjoyable.</p>

<p>^ I second that. I’m almost done with college and have had the opportunity to talk to many people from all different colleges. APs are not split up by which are more “impressive”. To be honest, colleges don’t really care what APs you took. To them it’s more of “oh, well now they don’t have to take that class and we don’t get the money for it”. APs definitely won’t hurt you, but admissions officers do not look at them as much of a determining factor. However, when you take AP classes all of a sudden they see you’re taking the hardest courseload you could. That is more impressive. As far as self-studies, no college admissions officer is going to be trying to figure out what AP tests you took that you didn’t have a class for. Even the less known colleges have so many applications that they don’t have time for that. Just do your best and bask in the self-satisfaction you may get from doing well.</p>

<p>I’ll be taking Lang, W. History, Calculus AB/BC, and if time allows Chem in my Junior year. (Currently I’m a sophomore). For my senior year, I’ll be taking Lit, Bio, Psych and Environmental Science. </p>

<p>Since I’ll be taking one honors chinese course (with some essay writing) by the time I reach my senior year, should I consider taking the Chinese AP? I’m Japanese and I’ve been studying Chinese for three years now.</p>

<p>^If your Japanese, then you should go for AP Chinese (Did you take AP Japanese yet? :D) since some Japanese characters look like Chinese ones
but fair warning, it is quite hard (Barron’s study guide made it 2x harder but it was helpful)</p>

<p>I might be doing AP comp. govt as a self study but idk yet, I can take macro and art history online along with 3 other in-class APs so I’m wondering whether I should do it</p>

<p>wow, biggest thread ever, does it matter that much on your app if you are an ap scholar with distinction or ap national scholar. i just lost my chance to be a national scholar because i got 3’s on my first two ap exams. will these awards have a big distinction on your app.</p>

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<p>AP comp.govt shouldn’t be that challenging. (according to two seniors who graduated that I know. they self-studied it, because my school didn’t offer the course at the time).</p>

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<p>AP comp.govt shouldn’t be that challenging. (according to two seniors who graduated that I know. they self-studied it, because my school didn’t offer the course at the time).</p>

<p>^you should definitely take AP Japanese!!</p>

<p>and I think I’ll have a shot at comp. gov’t, already got the Ethel Wood book :)</p>

<p>I know this was mentioned earlier in the thread - like way earlier - but I just wanted to say that for anyone looking to self-study an AP for additional rigor on a resume, I STRONGLY recommend AP Government. My advice is to take it with a friend. Start at the beginning of the year, and once a week take time to learn the material. Doing it with a friend really keeps things from getting boring, and it can be a great motivator. What my friend and I did was first make flashcards from one book that had a list of main terms, and then we used a separate review book and typed up the material inside the book. We made a review of a review. It was very very helpful. Just wanted to put my two cents in! If you have any questions, feel free to post or PM me.</p>