My school is small… Around 500 for all students from 9th-12th grade. So there aren’t a lot of AP’s as I would like, or more like, specific AP’s that I’d like to take. Among the 10 AP classes available, I’ll probably only take 7, (since AP Spanish is not really an option for me; haven’t even taken Spanish I!, choosing AP Bio over AP Chemistry, and APWH, (that was just introduced this year, but is for freshman.)) I’ve want to self-study the courses that aren’t here, such as AP Psychology, AP Mandarin, AP Calculus BC and AP Microeconomics, but will the admission office even see it? They won’t see these subjects on my class schedule, and I’ve read that colleges don’t see your AP exam grade until you’ll been admitted already…
They could see the AP exams that you take even though you don’t take the class if you pay to have the results sent to the colleges. Whether or not the school would pay attention to the results of care is another issue that I am not able to answer. Perhaps another poster will know the answer.
I suggest talking with your adviser/counselor or Principal - it might be possible to have the score report attached to your transcript. You might also ask if the school might give you independent study credit. And if you do well, it could be mentioned in the letter of recommendation your counselor provides to colleges.
You self-report all AP exams taken and their scores on college apps, so all APs taken up to junior year (with or without the AP class) will be seen by colleges.