<p>I'm a senior and I want to learn AP Psych or AP Stats. Give me one good reason to go for it and I will!</p>
<p>but in terms of college apps, is there really any point?</p>
<p>I think there are two many reasons why you'd want to self-study them:</p>
<p>1) National AP Scholar/State Scholar/etc. awards.
2) Depending on which college you go to, you may get credit for these self-studied AP's.</p>
<p>Now, if you don't care particularly about those awards, and you're going to a really prestigious place that doesn't really offer much by the way of AP credit, there really isn't a point to taking the AP test. Unless it's bragging rights, or something, but I don't think AP tests really tell you much about how much you've learned. That's just my personal view, though.</p>
<p>I think that if you really really wanted to learn psychology and basic statistics so much that you're willing to teach yourself, that shows that you're looking beyond school to learn things, but I find it ridiculous that people will do so much to get some award that probably doesn't matter that much at all in admissions. The main reason people self-study is to get credit/placement. You should check with the colleges to see if you even get any placement/credit for taking the exams. It's stupid, I think, to self-study for AP's that you don't really care much about, because there are other ways to show that you like to learn and are willing to step outside the school to learn it.</p>
<p>I self-studied both AP Economics and English Language my senior year so I could get credits for the test grades.</p>
<p>Demonstrating that you care more about learning than about "looking good."
Of course, your asking totally undermines that.</p>