<p>Does it make any difference to colleges if you take an SAT II that you never studied in school (and do really well in it)? Like would it show that you seek out knowledge on your own or something like that?</p>
<p>I got an 800 on US History despite never studying it in class, and I was wondering if (read: hoping) it would give me any boost beyond the value of the 800 itself.</p>
<p>i'm sure it can't hurt. i know i'd be impressed with that if i were and adcom and it came across my desk.</p>
<p>Generally there is more merit if you took an AP course by yourself and did really well on it. This comes from the fact that adcoms notice AP courses and it would look good if you have a score without having taken a course.</p>
<p>Otherwise, I don't think it's a bad thing - but the adcoms would just have to make note of the fact that you never took a USH course.</p>
<p>I don't know the answer for sure, though your score is quite impressive even for students who have taken US History in school. My suggestion is to highlight the fact in your college application as it is very possible that the admissions committee may miss the fact that you have not been formally trained in the subject.</p>