<p>Quick question for the board... do colleges look favorably upon students who self study AP's?
I was thinking about self-studying APES or CompSci this year (my school offers neither), and was wondering if it would give me any admissions boost, besides the college credit.</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>Depends on why you’re doing it, your general student profile, and what your school options are. DS self-studied for several - his private school chose not to offer them, his grades were uneven, and he wanted to prove he could excel at a college level. I think it works best if it illustrates something unique that’s not otherwise obvious to admissions officers. I think it’s probably pointless if you’re going to get a 3, though (of course, you don’t need to send the scores in, but why bother studying).</p>
<p>FWIW, I think it was effective for DS…but obviously YMMV.</p>
<p>If you have a passion for some particular subject that you plan to major in and your school doesn’t offer it - or you can’t take due to schedule conflicts - than yes, it shows your commitment and initiative. Just taking AP courses to show that you can doesn’t hurt, but frankly, you probably have more productive things you could be doing with your time. For example, if you really like computer science, do something with your computer skills as an EC or a job.</p>
<p>Certainly will not hurt you. Go for it.</p>
<p>My son self-studied for AP chemistry, biology, and stats (his hs didn’t offer the AP classes in those subjects). He received 4’s on all of them without a ton of studying. I don’t see how it could hurt, and I agree that it shows initiative to a potential college.</p>