Hello!
I’m an international student from Asia and I would like to know whether taking AP courses in May 2017 will benefit me?
I’ve not taken any of them till now as my school didn’t offer them and I did not realize their importance until it was too late.
I’m a senior right now and I’ll graduate by then. Also, I know that it won’t affect my admission chances as all decisions will be out before then.
Please advise!
I am not sure what you mean by taking AP courses in May. May is typically when you have AP tests not the beginning of taking a course.
If you are talking about taking an AP test in May, during or soon after completing senior year, then doing so will not help you in getting admitted but it will provide you with possible college course credit to whatever college you have been admitted to (colleges can vary as to scores required to qualify for credit).
If you are actually talking about taking an AP course during the summer after your senior year (if actually offerred anywhere), then it is likely not going to provide course credit when you enter college because you need the AP test for that, and that will not be given until the next May. Moreover, many colleges will not accept for credit AP tests taken while in college.
You will not necessarily be disadvantaged by the lack of AP courses. Colleges do not penalize applicants in the admisison process for the lack of AP courses if their high school provides none. Also, I do not know your school system, but having an IB program is at least just as good as having AP courses.
@drusba Yes, I meant taking AP tests in May. Also, I would like to know how much does it usually take to prepare for an AP test through self-study? I plan on giving 2 at least with 1-2 months of rigorous prep.
My school follows the CBSE system (in India).
Thanks for the quick reply!
The amount of studying is dependent on how well you know the subject. If you are taking one of the calculus AP’s and you already know calculus then you probably don’t need to study much. Familiarize yourself with the format and the specific topics that the test covers. However, if you are taking an AP test in any area that you don’t know at all, you will need a lot more time. Most of the tests are covering the material that is expected to take a year to cover in a normal high school course.
As suggested before, the only reason to take these at this point is if the college you are planning to attend gives you course credit for certain scores.
You are an international applicant. Your CBSE exams are what the international admissions office will care about. Don’t waste your energy worrying about AP.
@me29034 @happymomof1 Great, thanks a lot!