<p>A lot of people self study APs and I was think of doing it as well. But then I started thinking and kinda of thought that it had no point. Why do people self study APs if they don't use the credit? It doesn't make a big difference.</p>
<p>Some do it for the knowledge; others do it to get a boost in admissions.</p>
<p>Yes, the boost in admissions is a great incentive. One such direct result of self-studying APs would be to help qualify one for a CollegeBoard AP award, such as National AP Scholar.</p>
<p>The boost in admissions is quite small. Plenty of people actually self-study because of interest in the subject area and others simply want the credit for college.</p>
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<p>Indeed. Believe it or not, many people simply have a genuine interest in learning.</p>
<p>Free money (college credit), not having to sit through History 101 (college credit) and uh…prestige/bragging rights.</p>
<p>I’m also doing it so I can discipline myself a bit, I never really study otherwise so I’m using it as a kind of motivation. Oh, and I’m interested in the stuff too, but more interested in college creds (too late for the college incentive though, I’m gonna be a senior). Lastly, my school doesn’t offer many APs, so it’s almost like trying to see how well you can do without teacher guidance.</p>
<p>For me, AP Psychology isn’t offered at my school, and I couldn’t fit the “Behavioral Science” class into my schedule–so I decided to learn the material by self-studying.</p>
<p>This summer, an AP Computer Science class was going to be offered, but it was cancelled due to low enrollment. My math teacher, who was also going to teach the AP CS class, gave me two textbooks and a CD full of assignments and projects to work through so I could teach myself, since I’ve been interested in taking AP CS for a while.</p>
<p>Genuine interest in the subjects… also a Yale admissions officer told that he finds “self-studying AP exams very impressive”</p>