<p>Minshu, I don't think that colleges want the kids to take AP's as a way of reflecting their ability to do college work. I think they like the AP's more as a way of insuring that the high school work is at a minimum standard -- it is a joke what goes on in many public high school classrooms. So the APs are a way of ensuring that the kid who took US History actually read a history text, and they are also a way of weeding out the high-end kids from the slackers.</p>
<p>I really think that the private colleges would prefer that their applicants NOT have too many college-level courses, because (a) they would prefer that entering Freshmen be Freshmen (not coming in with Soph. standing), and (b) the top colleges still believe that their courses are better quality than high school AP. So yes they will give credit, but the last thing they want is for their introductory courses to be empty because all their students have tested out of them. </p>
<p>So your observation is 100% correct - but I think you've missed the point. AP is there precisely to keep the smart kids on track in high school and out of the community colleges.</p>