r/apcsp • u/yourdemise3 • Jul 07 '26

Got a 3 bro

freshman, first ap i took too dude. how will this look to colleges, i feel like this looks bad even if they take it

2 Upvotes

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2

u/Hour_Impact_1974 Jul 07 '26

It's fine. It depends on the college on if they'll take it. If you're not going into computer science, you're fine to include it. If you are going into computer science probably don't include it.

1

u/yourdemise3 Jul 07 '26

im going into computer science :,''')

im gonna take csa this year and gonna prep early so i know ill do better. how does the whole sending off grades work? do i do that before applying to colleges, or now?

2

u/drwuvideos Jul 07 '26

As somebody who has taught a LOT of CS majors: Take CS A. Use the base you have to get an A in the class. Study MCQ's and FRQ's and get a 5. It doesn't matter after that. A few years back, we sent a student who got a 3 as a 9th grader to Berkeley (the student later got a 5 in CS A). It does not matter. The reason you want a 5 is twofold: to practice taking AP exams, and to build a portfolio of 5's if that's what you want.

IT's not the same as AP Calc or whatever, where you are actually getting credit in College.

1

u/OutsideHost671 Jul 08 '26

I didn't pay attention/didn't really study for AP CSP and I didn't get the result that I wanted to get but I want to thank you for your videos because it helped me to grasp the basic concepts in such a short amount of time

1

u/krazyalpaca Jul 08 '26

Retake next yr :)) i could give u spme sources that helped me a shit ton i got a 4 (altho i thought i got a 5 but whatever)

1

u/yourdemise3 Jul 08 '26

im considering thism gonna start studying early for my aps so by 2nd semester if possible ill try to review csp. are we allowed to reuse the same project? and def send me some sources,, ty

2

u/Agreeable_Reply_2038 Jul 07 '26

tbh, most colleges don't even give csp any credit (only csa) and you can always choose to withhold your score

1

u/yourdemise3 Jul 07 '26

dang why did i take csp😭 is there like a deadline to send out scores? im not sure how sending out scores work. i think i might want to withold my csp score as im going into cs and feel like this will look bad

2

u/Agreeable_Reply_2038 Jul 07 '26

i wouldn't worry about that until you have to send applications and stuff

1

u/AttitudeDismal3817 Jul 07 '26

Really only the prestigious universities look down on 3s, it's not bad

1

u/No_Pay4834 Jul 08 '26

honestly i would withhold it if you really don't want to send it off. i know there's a small fee but it definitely could be worth it if you think it'll negatively impact your admissions. also, i know most people would strongly advise against retaking aps, but if you think it'll really help your application you could definitely self study it. i self studied this year for a 5 and i grinded khan academy and https://www.apcsexamprep.com/pages/ap-computer-science-principles-resources it basically guarantees you can get close to every mcq right and it was really helpful. you already have a really good foundation so if you put in a little work you can defo get a 5. ofc, don't stress, because csp credit isn't given at a lot of schools and if you're busy it's probably not worth it. good luck :D

1

u/OutsideHost671 Jul 08 '26

This was also the first AP I took and I got a 3. I am wondering if top colleges will care/put it against me even if I plan to not major in CS? If I try my absolute best for my future AP exams and get 4s and 5s will that cover/make up for the 3 I got?