Self-Studying APs: Improving Your App

Test Preparation AP Test Preparation
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<p>You don't get GPA boosts from "self studying". Self studying implies that you do it on your own time away from school. The only way the school even knows you're self studying is when you pay for those AP exams. </p>

<ol>
<li><p>Is it feasible? It depends on your courseload in your 6 in class APs. Are you already in a lot of work or is your school pretty easy? If your school is easy that is definitely feasible especially if you start to study early.</p></li>
<li><p>I would do both micro and macro since they're basically hand in hand.</p></li>
</ol>

<p>Biology is a LOT of memorization. It depends if you really want to study a lot.</p>

<p>Euro is also memorization, but I liked the class a lot. I also like history, so it depends on the peson.</p>

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<p>Thanks llpitch.</p>

<p>Does anyone know/have an opinion for the best prep book out there for micro/macro? I haven't had much luck with princton review, so i've stuck with barrons, but even barrons has its issues. </p>

<p>Oh and does anyone know why the prep book for human geography is a whopping 550 pages? I thought that was an easy AP?</p>

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<p>Umm I'm looking at the Barron's AP Human Geography (the one you should study from) and it's only 300 some pages including practice tests.</p>

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<p>if you self-study your senior year, but your senior year ONLY, will that even help your college application at all?</p>

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<p>I doubt it. If you do write on your application "Self Studying AP blah blah blah" and you don't have any prior self studies they probably will think its crap.</p>

<p>You can always self study for the learning experience, or for credits, but I doubt if you self studied only senior year (where they have no real proof that you actually are) that they would give you credit for it.</p>

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<p>I would like to self-study some AP's but i'm not sure of which ones, I'm currently taking AP Calc AB and APUSH and I will take AP Chinese in May. Which AP's are the easiest to self-study w/o beginning knowledge? Is Euro His easy to self-study with no background??</p>

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<p>How about you read the thread.</p>

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<p>AP euro is not something you can study without a background. really, you can't. psychology, yeah, self study it. it's common sense with a few studies.</p>

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<p>Sorry I don't have that much time to read the thread, so I don't know if this question has been asked yet.</p>

<p>Since top schools (HYPMS) don't really care much about AP scores...what is the purpose of self-studying other than getting college credits and getting AP awards?</p>

<p>Does self-studying APs help at all at competitive schools?</p>

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<p>It shows you have initiative and that you care about learning.</p>

<p>I'd think it would help. Don't do it if you don't care about the subject though...you would most likely end up not studying and waste money on the AP test.</p>

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<p>i'm doing AP.Stat. independent study now, but it's just confusing to me,
is there some web resources may help with it?</p>

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<p>Are you using the textbook?</p>

<p>What are you having troubles with btw? Maybe you could PM me and I could help you.</p>

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<p>Web resources on AP stat? The one I really like is </p>

<p><a href="http://www.mv.com/users/hayden/MAAFIXED.PDF%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.mv.com/users/hayden/MAAFIXED.PDF&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

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<p>ap stat is considered one of the easiest ap test---so don't worry if you don't understand everything. I skipped 1 of the free response, and know i got 2 of the others wrong, and i still managed a 5.</p>

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<p>Thanks llpitch for keeping up with some of the messages when I'm away :)</p>

<p>
[quote]
Also, I'm a senior -- is it too late to self-study to make an impression on colleges? I suppose it would matter if you got onto a waiting list?

[/quote]
</p>

<p>If you have never self-studied before, starting during senior year means the colleges would take it with a grain of salt (after all, they would never know whether you actually took the AP tests). It wouldn't matter terribly either, if you were placed on a waiting list, because of the same reason. Self-studying is really best done during sophomore and junior years.</p>

<p>
[quote]
What is the difference between the princeton book and cliffs AP [Bio]?

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Cliffs has a really good AP Bio book. Really. I wouldn't recommend anything else.</p>

<p>
[quote]
Does self-studying APs help at all at competitive schools?

[/quote]
</p>

<p>If you're just doing it to get into HYPMSC, I would recommend you doing something else with your time, because it's not going to be a huge difference UNLESS you go to a school with <5 AP courses and you're demonstrating initiative by going beyond the curriculum and stretching yourself. If you go to a school with >10 AP courses, chances are you might be better off just taking the classes at school (unless you want to do something crazy and finish with 15+ AP scores, then self-study). Self-studying really boosts chances for students that come from academically-impoverished school systems, not students attending public magnet high schools or elite private schools.</p>

<p>Getting AP credit is not a bad thing. At many schools, you might be able to qualify for sophomore standing and gets you out of many tedious general requirement classes. Even at schools like MIT where they don't take many AP scores in lieu of prerequisites, I have enough AP credits going in that I can declare sophomore standing in the spring and get rid of the freshman credit limit - so it's really not a bad idea to store up credits.</p>

<p>
[quote]
I skipped 1 of the free response, and know i got 2 of the others wrong, and i still managed a 5.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>I did the same thing, and got one of my two 4s in Stats. So, 4s do happen =)</p>

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<p>How would I indicate that I am self-studying on an application? </p>

<p>I self studied Euro, APUSH without the classes but they were actually classes at my school. </p>

<p>This year I am self studying Physics C (LOL) and Calc BC (taking AB). I'm a senior. Neither of these are classes at my school.</p>

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<p>"Self-studying really boosts chances for students that come from academically-impoverished school systems, not students attending public magnet high schools or elite private schools."</p>

<p>Imagine then, going to a public magnet that only offers APs in the maths and sciences. Not exactly academically impoverished, but definately limited, although literally every student gets 5s on those particular tests. How important would you consider it that a student at such a school -- who has HYP on his or her mind -- self-study for some social science or humanities APs? </p>

<p>I guess the issue is what was also stated about doing such things "just to get into HYP." I mean, there are tons of opportunities to do incredible research, go to national competitions in the sciences, etc., but only so much time in the day. </p>

<p>I'd love some opinions.</p>

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<p>
[quote]
How important would you consider it that a student at such a school -- who has HYP on his or her mind -- self-study for some social science or humanities APs?

[/quote]
</p>

<p>That is also a perfectly valid way to demonstrate your initiative in learning. I may have sounded rather harsh in my statement, but I feel like a lot of students confuse self-studying with an easy ticket to a better college. I hope people self-study to increase their knowledge and to show a passion of learning beyond what they are being offered at school, rather to think that if I self studied X number of exams I should be able to get into College Y. This being said, you should always try as hard as possible to take all the AP courses offered at your school, and go beyond that with self-studying. If your school already offers a bunch of APs, then there's really no point to self-studying (unless you have horrendous schedule conflicts).</p>

<p>Of course, doing incredible research and going to national competitions would definitely be a better "hook" to HYPMSC schools, but not everyone has that ability. Do it if you can and have the means to, but otherwise, self-studying APs is also a good way to show your passion of knowledge.</p>

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<p>awesome thread..bump</p>

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<p>Note, if you want to self-study, or study outside of high school, there are other ways to do it. For instance, a lot of community colleges have online courses you can take, some where you only show up for testing. University extensions offer similar programs. I think this might look more impressive in some cases than self-studying and taking an AP test...</p>