<p>I'm taking the most challenging schedule available at my school? I'm at a private prep school, but they don't have APs. I'm wondering, really, what's the point? I just need to know if it's a truly important factor in getting into a top college.</p>
<p>Colleges judge you in the context of your school. If they don’t offer any, they aren’t going to penalize you for it, but it can only help if you do take them.</p>
<p>Some people self-study for APs to get credit(or placement into higher level classes) at college, effectively saving both money and time. </p>
<p>It’s not an important factor in admission to a top college.</p>