<p>I’m taking the “major” AP courses in school, such as chem, bio, apush/euro history, calc bc, english, foreign language, etc. Would it help to self study 5 or 6 smaller APs (enviro, both econs, human geo, music theory)?
This is for ivys/stanford/mit- would these schools see that as impressive, or not?
Thanks!</p>
<p>Focus on your other parts of application such as leadership in extracurricular activities.</p>
<p>^ Agreed with Lacrossemom.</p>
<p>Why do you call them “smaller” AP classes? They are called AP classes the same as Calculus BC, Physics C, etc. Believe it or not, plenty of students including some I know have trouble with those smaller APs than the “major” ones. Do you really think that some AP classes are not seen in the same light in terms of difficulty and challenge as the others?</p>
<p>Study for those exams because you really want to learn the subject and challenge yourself on the exam, not because you think it will help your application.</p>
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I don’t know why you’re asking this in a rhetorical manner, it’s very much true that universities and their departments recognize, for example, that a 3 on x exam is more impressive than a 3 or 4 on y exam. By major APs, the OP is probably referring to common ones taken by a lot of students (and it’s also completely true, btw, that it’s generally easier to do well on some exams than others). If a school uses APs, it’s reasonable to assume that it offers common ones like Calc and USH; Pysch and Enviro, not so much.</p>
<p>Anyway, to respond to the question, I’d say it would be worth your while to self-study only if you’re genuinely interested in a topic - loading up with 5/6 self-study APs tells colleges that you’re a striver trying desperately to perfect your app. The Ivies, Stanford, MIT, etc. have plenty of such strivers, trust me. If one or two are relevant to your intended area of study, consider doing them.</p>