Should I self study APs?

If your school has a program where you can take college classes during high school, I would highly recommend doing that instead. I took a lot of AP’s while in high school, and while I don’t necessarily regret it, I didn’t find it useful at all after moving on to college. I have the feeling they didn’t “pad” my application much, and it was certainly more difficult to get credit for the AP classes than it would have been to get transfer credit from a community college or local university. Besides, there is a significant difference between taking an AP class and taking a true college class - you’ll probably get more usable experience through programs like PSEO.

Good luck with whatever you choose!