<p>I've seen a lot of threads about self-studying AP's. My question is, why? What's the point? </p>
<p>The only reason I can think of for self-studying is if your school doesn't offer very many AP/advanced classes. But if you can give yourself a rigorous schedule at school, why pile on more? How do you even find the time to self-study an entire course?</p>
<p>Just wondering...</p>
<p>^ I’ve been wondering this too. I really don’t like the whole idea of self-studying to be honest. Ah well~ what can we do? I just don’t like when people just pile on AP self-studying just to look impressive.</p>
<p>I self-studied AP English Language, APUSH, and AP Spanish Language this year. I only took two AP classes though: AP Calc AB and AP Physics B. And they weren’t completely unrelated to my classes. I took Honors English 11 (we don’t offer AP Lang), so a number of people self studied and took the exam. Same with Honors USH and Spanish.</p>
<p>I took it to improve my app (5 APs > 2 APs) and to get college credit.</p>
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<p>Self-studying is significantly easier than taking the course. You don’t have to actually learn the material, you just have to learn to take the test. Which can be done in a couple of weeks, or even in a couple afternoons, using a prep book. </p>
<p>I self-studied AP Calculus BC so I could take higher-level math classes at a university senior year.</p>
<p>Why self-study? Because YOLO that’s why.</p>
<p>If you are interested in a subject but your school doesn’t offer it, self-studying is a great option. It’s learning all of the material minus the homework load.</p>
<p>Personally, I want to improve my college application. Also, I want to get college credit. I might as get some classes out of the way while I’m in high school.</p>
<p>That’s what Science Olympiad or what many academic competitions are. (Plus the fact that some of those competitions basically is studying for the whole AP test within them already)</p>
<p>I wish I took the following AP exams that my school does not offer for credit: European History and Computer Science. GE’s and prereq’s for some electrical engineering courses. </p>
<p>*Genius self-studier = state AP scholar of CA lol. And the school even had the classes for the APs he took</p>
<p>I am going to self study for at least 2 classes senior year, possibly 3. I feel like my reasons are pretty representative. </p>
<p>AP Calculus BC - I am self-studying this because I took Calc AB my junior year, and that’s the highest level my school offers. I’ll take AP Stats to fulfill credit requirements, but I’m not at all comfortable taking a year off from Calculus as I plan to major in Engineering and dual enrollment isn’t an option. Many public school students are in the same boat as me, and this is the main reason people self-study BC - AB is the highest offered, but he/she can handle BC. </p>
<p>AP Physics C: Mechanics - I am self-studying this because I feel that I am completely capable of calc-based physics, but my school only offers AP Physics B. Self-studying for C: Mechanics while taking AP Physics B will create an additional challenge which will be beneficial for me. It will also help me prepare for physics I will take in college, as it’s all calc based not algebra based. That way I will be ahead of the game and have a little bit less to worry about my freshmen year. </p>
<p>AP Macroeconomics - I genuinely love the subject. I took an Economics course my sophomore year and did really well and enjoyed it. My school doesn’t offer AP Economics, though. So I am taking this just because I like it. </p>
<p>The three reasons I am self-studying are pretty common. I’m not doing it to add rigor to my schedule to impress colleges, I am doing it to help prepare for college and genuine interest. I have a rigorous enough schedule (4 AP classes plus college-level Spanish class), but in reality I’m not piling on much more. I already know 60% of the Calc BC material, Physics C isn’t much more, I just have be able to apply Calculus to what I’m learning in Physics B. The only work I’m adding on is Economics, and it’s not all that much because I only have to do enough so that I can do well on the test - no busy work, no daily homework, no projects or papers. </p>
<p>As for time - I don’t really need all that much, self-studying takes less time than a real course because it doesn’t involve busy work or projects, like I said above. And again, two of the classes I’m self-studying I only need to learn a small chunk of the material, the rest I already know. But I will have a TA period my senior year which will provide ample time to self-study. I will TA for my physics teacher, so I have plenty of time to get help with the calc and physics material if necessary. So it’s really not that bad!</p>
<p>I love learning. Full stop.</p>