<p>I took only 2 APs (I'm an international and my school doesn't provide AP classes)</p>
<p>AP Computer Science: 3
AP Psychology: 5</p>
<p>My intended major is Comp Sci. I'll be applying to some reach schools like Stanford and Harvard. Should I just include:
AP Psychology: 5 (because its a five!)</p>
<p>Or Am I better off NOT reporting ANY APs as my school doesn't provide AP classes and colleges know that. AP Psychology is very easy and looked down upon. A 3 on Comp Sci doesn't look good. If I include just AP Psychology then colleges will think that I could take any other AP but I took the easiest one. Maybe that'll make me look like I was trying a short-cut opposite of 'rigorous'.</p>
<p>Option 1: Include both Comp Sci and Psych
Option 2: Only include AP Psych
Option 3: Don't Report APs at all</p>
<p>I'm leaning towards option 3. </p>
<p>BUMP I have 2 days left to submit my app PLEASE HELP!</p>
<p>I’m leaning towards option 2, but you should get more opinions than just mine.</p>
<p>I thought that with AP’s it is all-or-nothing. </p>
<p>f you include your APs, you are showing that you went above and beyond your curriculum, which shows drive and effort. AP tests specifically are designed to test to a taught curriculum, not to assess general knowledge of a subject area. If you did not take the course the test is based on, I think you could be expected not to do well on it.</p>
<p>If you discuss how you extend yourself beyond resources commonly available in the application, having the scores is a very good thing.</p>
<p>If you do not, and they stand on their own without explanation, you may be doing yourself a disservice by including them; because the general assumption is that you took the underlying course prior to taking the test. This is a bit like taking a course in something (say World History), and going to a different school to take their final exam. You would not do well- not because you do not know the material, but because you don’t know what that course emphasized or what their teaching/testing style is. For this example, the AP test has a specific quick-response format for answers that is practiced in an AP class. In CS class, there meat be a similar format or style aspect to the test (I don’t know). Without explanation, the grade would just stand as it is, with the assumption that you had every advantage of an underlying course.</p>
<p>I would submit the AP psych 5 and not the CS. Since there isn’t an AP class on your transcript to correlate with, they will not be expecting any APs. (If you had taken AP CS, then submitting the score would be more important b/c otherwise it looks suspicious). If you school doesn’t offer APs, they won’t hold anything against you.
So I would submit only what will be enhancement for your application. The 5 in AP psych may not be a huge boost to your application, but its nice. The 3 in CS will likely not add anything positive, might be a negative. So would not submit. </p>
<p>If, after admission, you want to get credit or skip pre-reqs, you will send your official score report, they will be able to see everything at that point, but who cares. :)</p>
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<p>As an international student admissions does not expect AP grades. Surely there are academic distinctions in your application that are specific to you home country. Focus on these. My opinion is that including AP scores (especially in subjects such as psychology) on an international application is likely to be more of a distraction that a help.</p>
<p>It does not really matter, but I would lean towards reporting them both. Score 3 is passing grade. When there is no AP score on a class you finished, the adcom may have an even more negative feeling about it.</p>