<p>I talked to an admissions officer from one of the Ivies (not Harvard) and he said that they don’t really consider self-studied APs a plus, because they like to see that you went through the class for the entire year, experienced the full curriculum, etc. I don’t think they’re “frowned upon” per se, though.</p>
<p>And I don’t think there’s an “average” of AP classes for Harvard (or any school, for that matter), since applicants come from schools which offer drastically different courses. Some may not have any APs at all, while others may have dozens.</p>