Self studying for APs adds absolutely nothing to your college application and may even make up look like you like to do nothing but study and take tests. Don’t self study, focus on your ECs and for God’s sake, get more than 4 hours of sleep.
Note that you cut down on things if you only sleep 4 hours a night: a teenager in your age range needs to sleep 8-9 hours a night or you seriously harm your brain.
You don’t need to do eight or nine or ten activities: it’s impact over quantity - three or four, including work or taking care of family members (yes that too counts on common app) is plenty.
Self studying does not help with college admissions at all: most colleges don’t want students who only study. They want you in class, interacting with peers, participating, taking tests. And they want proof that you’ll make a positive impact on campus.
@snowfairy137 and @MYOS1634 I don’t do stuff to please admissions officers or for college, everything I do is because I thoroughly enjoy it. It’s also worth noting that each activity occurs on different times on the year. Like cross country is only in the fall and track in the spring. Debate and Model UN is usually in the winter and maybe beginning spring. Student Govt. starts in the mid fall and ends in mid/early spring but we meet once every two weeks and newspaper meets weekly. All my volunteering and teaching religion classes is mandatory because I attend a catholic school on a scholarship. Instead of paying, I teach religion classes weekly and I need volunteer hours for NHS
But thank you for your ( @snowfairy137 @MYOS1634 ) concern. I don’t only sleep 4 hours, sometimes I sleep more (especially in summer and weekends) I was just making a point to @bhargavaa
I know, but you really, really should figure out what prevents you from sleeping 8hours because it harms your brain. It’s a bit as if you hit your arm repeatedly with a hammer, day after day. Cracks start, then grow painful, then become irreparable and your arm can’t be used. By the time you get to college, the damage is there and under the stress your arm snaps.
That happens to countless young people. Not a joke, not something you brush off. And no I’m not trying to moralize or whatever, I’m honestly concerned. Lack of sleep is a huge health issue among young people in the us. Just because you can’t see it doesn’t mean it’s not harmful. And you know it is due to how painful it is.
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I self study for Subject Tests and APs when I’m only a going to be a sophmore./quote
There a contradictory element to these quotes. Your GC will tick a box on your Common App as to how rigorous your schedule was relative to your school. Schools vary tremendously in the options that students have- limits on number of APs, honors/no honors, etc. Your application will be considered in the context of what is typical of students at your school. So @bhargavi is not being helpful when s/he says ‘take more! I did!’ (assuming that s/he does not go to your school).
IF you are looking to apply to universities outside the US, self-studying for additional tests may be necessary to meet the admissions requirements, but US colleges are NOT impressed by lots of self-studying for extra tests. If you genuinely enjoy a particular subject, studying for more standardized tests is not the best way to demonstrate that.
I think that your schedule is good also.
Ignore the “take all AP” comments. For every comment that says “you have to take APs as a sophomore”, there is a post a year later that asks “I got all Ds in my AP classes, what do I do now”.
Regarding the comment above: “IF you are looking to apply to universities outside the US, self-studying for additional tests may be necessary…”. This should have said “outside of North America”. Universities in Canada are impressed by A’s in a combination of CP, Honors, and optionally a few AP courses in your last year or two of high school.
@collegemom3717 @DadTwoGirls thanks both for your answers! I have decided not to self study an AP’s and just do maybe one or two Subject Tests
Taking one or two subject tests after you took the class (or if you know the material some other way) and doing very well (700+) is MUCH better than doing lots of things at once but so-so, or getting exhausted doing everything perfectly.
Try to find Cal Newport’s book how to be a high school superstar as well as the scientific book make it stick. I think you’ll enjoy the reading and will find lots of useful tips!
@MYOS1634 I will order the book! Thanks again for all your help :))