Hello everyone! I’m current a sophomore in high school with the questions regarding self studying APs.
I recently talked with my guidance counselor about classes for my junior year. I’ll be taking AP US. History, AP Psychology, and AP English lang. This year I’m taking only AP Euro. I really want to attend a university in the UK. I know that UK unis focus more on the course that you’ll want to take. I’m still not sure what I want to study, but I’ve always wanted to study Veterinary Medicine. I haven’t taken any science APs. A lot of the good universities require that you have a 5 in AP bio, chem, etc…
Now, my guidance counselor said that if I did self study, I wouldn’t be able to get school credit. Is that true? She also said that she would advise against me taking APs that the school offers, however, I still want to self study them regardless. Because if I didn’t, then I would have to pack them all in during my senior year. College admissions is during the fall. How would they know the test scores if I hadn’t taken them yet? Do they look at the current grades?
Anyways, I really want to self study a few classes. I really dislike sitting through classes. I feel that it’s a waste of my time. If I do decide to self study, how would I go about doing so? When I have to take the tests, where go I take them?
Veterinary science is quite tough to get into in the UK, as there are relatively few universities offering it, and you will absolutely need those science APs.
If you have the option of doing them the following year in school, that would be fine. If you get an offer, it would be conditional on your scoring 4s or 5s in the APs they’re interested in - this is perfectly normal.
If you’re not sure what you want to study, the UK may not be the best route for you, as you will be committing to studying a specific subject from the start, and it isn’t always possible to change course - although of course your plans may crystallize over the next year or so.
Also, does the AP course not require laboratory work? I don’t know how you could manage that without taking a formal course. And dissection in biology could also be an issue.
What Conformist1688 said. It is really important to be more than sure that you want to do whatever subject you apply for. For example, if you do vet at Nottingham, your first year courses will be:
Veterinary Musculoskeletal System 1; Veterinary Cardiorespiratory System 1; Lymphoreticular Cell Biology 1; Veterinary Neuroscience 1; Animal Health and Welfare; and Veterinary Personal and Professional Skills
You would absolutely need 5s on APs in Chem & Bio; work experience is also an important variable for admissions.
Self-studying APs is more common than you might think. It is much, much easier if you have taken the class at school, whether or not it is called ‘AP’. There are a ton of books to help you master both the format and the material. You can register to take the AP at any College Board test site- there is no rule that you have had the class or that you have to take it in your own school.
I am not sure if what I am going to suggest will work for you or not - but here is a link: http://www.chemadvantage.com/. We used this course (actually, we used the same course but through PA Homeschoolers since we homeschool) and I cannot recommend a better Chemistry course. I promise I am not paid by anyone - not PA Homeschoolers - not Chemadvantage - no one. I’m just a stay-at-home mom who homeschooled my kids. This particular course was among the very best. The teacher seems to never sleep. No matter when you do your work, if you have a question, you can e-mail him and he responds usually within the hour - often sooner. I THINK other students can take the class who are not homeschooled. I know in my son’s class, there were students from Singapore, China, etc,… He posts the assignments and readings from a textbook that you order and you do the assignments online. They are graded immediately. My son had little chemistry background and took this class in 10th grade (which I wouldn’t recommend doing!) but because of this amazing teacher and course, he managed to score a 5 on the AP exam and scored I think it was a 760 on the subject test (I might be a little off on the subject test score, I can’t remember for certain but it was definitely mid 700 range). He does have a lab component to the course. You have to order the lab kit and notebook, do the labs, scan them into computer and dropbox, and he grades them for you. My son walked out of the exam that day and felt like a million bucks. I think that will go down as one of his favorite high school accomplishments since it was such a difficult class for him.
I see. Thank you for your help guys. It’s true that I’m not too sure exactly what I want to go into, but I think that right now I’m going to stick with my plan. Even if my plans do change those APs would do no harm. And I’ll definitely be checking out davenmame website.
Also, I have one more question (Its more like a confirmation). I can self-study whatever classes, and take the tests in May. Would I need to report to my school/guidance counselor if I do so?
yes, if you want it to appear on your transcript. I would talk to him/her beforehand to verify it would be added to your transcript. Even if he/she doesn’t want to add it, you will be able to include it on your application and submit your AP scores to colleges for credit.
To clarify davenmame’s comment: If you want the APs on your HS transcript you obviously have to tell your school. But, to self-study and take the tests you do not have to.
Note that if you are taking the APs for UK colleges, you don’t need them on your transcript: you self-report them on the UCAS form when you apply, and then send the documentation if/when you are offered a place. However, if you will be applying with some APs not taken, whoever writes your reference letter- typically your GC or a teacher- will have to “predict” what scores they think you will get.