Why don't colleges like self-studiers?

ClassicRockerDad
Wed, 24 Sep 2014 16:57:58 +0000

I disagree with practically everything in the previous statement.

Let me start.

AP Scores of 5 matter in admissions. Lower scores can be due to a poor teacher or a class that didn’t cover the material. Unless schools get a lot of scores from the same school that are 5s, schools can’t really tell. Getting 5 shows a certain mastery. It helps in admissions. My D got a C in an AP class but scored a 5 on the exam. Then took another college course over the summer that relied on it and got an A. Certain college admissions offices said that they would consider the AP scores if they received official scores. We sent them. Of course we sent the college transcripts.

Self-study demonstrates that you can teach yourself. This is something that people are supposed to learn in college. If you learn it earlier - self-study and get a 5- then it is impressive.

Good reasons to self-study.

You are interested in the material and have the time to do a good job learning it.

You have financial issues to the extent that it would be very beneficial to do college in 3 years. if that’s the case, self-studying APs and taking CLEPs can often cover general eds and can make it feasible to do college full-time in 3 years, and part-time in perhaps 4-5.

Bad reasons to self-study

anxiety about college admissions - it’s totally unnecessary to self-study an AP. Nobody will hold it against you.

parental pressure

peer pressure

ego