As many of you are in the midst of taking AP exams this week and last, I want to make something clear: do your best, but please don't stress. Grades, ACT or SAT scores, extracurriculars and essays are much more important than APs because typically AP scores don't go on your college application. They don't count towards your GPA, and they're not part of your transcript. There isn't even actually a place on your application that they're required.

So, the question is, do admissions committees even look at your scores, and how much do they actually matter? The answer is if you self-report, they will look at your scores, and how much that matters is probably none at all. AP scores affect the classes you...