I’m currently a Sophomore in highschool. Next year I have the option to dual enroll at a local community college or take classes within my highschool. Due to zoning reasons, I currently have to take AP Micro/Macro (1 semester each) and AP Research next year. I also plan to take AP Pre-Calc, AP lang, and APUSH. For my science credit I have been planning on taking AP Chem since I have like my chem class this year, but my teacher suggested to take AICE Marine Biology due to a heavy workload in my other courses. What should I do? Dual enroll English, History, Science, and Math? Take the courses I listed with AP chem? Or take the courses with AICE Marine? All help/ positive tips are greatly appreciated. 
A lot depends on your potential college list. Some don’t take DE, some not AP.
In general, I think you should take APs before you take DE - so at our school for example, they ran out of English so Seniors DE.
But before then, would only take AP.
I don’t recognize the AICE class so hopefully your counselor or someone else on here can provide their opinion.
Good luck.
Million dollar question…are you interested in Marine Biology?
Have you taken physics?
Have you taken anatomy, physiology, biology?
Marine Biology would be a fun interesting class, yes. However I could not see myself in a career in which the class is needed. I would like to major in bio/chem/ something of that manner. I have already taken biology and chemistry (honors for both).
Physics? If you pursue science majors in college then physics is important.
You can google AICE Marine Biology. It’s not necessarily easier than another AP class. This is why I ask if you’re really interested in it. I personally would not do it unless the interest is there to start.
I would look for a class that I hadn’t taken already, that hopefully isn’t a repeat (I don’t know if AP chem is much different than honors chem at your school), and/or “fills in the holes” (like physics if you haven’t taken it or computer science). Maybe even an art class or something that you’d really enjoy.
And I’d take a hard look at the teachers–get the best teacher you can --don’t take an honors course because you think it’ll be “easier”–consider who is teaching it.
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I would do this, however I was planning on taking a year of a different science course then taking a hard course (AP physics) senior year since my school only offers AP and Id be scared to lose my 4.0
Fair enough. But if there are other alternatives (art, drafting, theater class, some other science, etc) that appeals to you more than marine biology then do that instead.
Never be afraid to lose your 4.0. Enjoy your life and education. I can guarantee that it doesn’t amount to a hill of beans in the long run. And when you get to college you’ll find people smarter than you no matter how smart you think you are now. And your employer doesn’t care.
I skipped taking chorus because it would “hurt my GPA” and have regretted that nearly forever. That did have later ramifications–I didn’t learn basics in singing which I dearly love. Those opportunities have been hard to recover. I have now with self learning but I kick myself that I didn’t take advantage of what was easily available in HS because I worried about grades.
Everyone worries about GPA but you really need to pursue your interests now. Having a course in a hobby, art, etc will steer your future course to clubs or activities in college.
My primary recommendation would be to take the courses that are right for you, rather than taking whatever you think that university admissions might want you to take.
Also, to me this looks like a LOT of AP classes. How many AP classes have you already taken? How do you feel about the likely workload?
I do not understand how precalculus became an AP class.
AP US History is likely to include a LOT of reading. How are you at doing a large amount of reading and how are you are remembering all of the associated details? Do you want to do this?
Are you taking a specific language (other than English)? I see “AP lang” on your schedule, but I do not know which language this is. Is this an English course? If so, then what non-English language are you taking or have you taken?
Physics senior year seems fine to me (and is what I did decades ago, although my high school did not offer AP Physics).
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This. APUSH is considered one of the hardest/time consuming APs.
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Hi! Thanks for your time and response! As you said, it is definitely going to be difficult and a lot of work. However, at my school the teacher for APUSH does not believe in tests and the only ‘take home’ work is one packet assigned Monday due next Monday. Every quarter there is one test but it’s only on memorizing 7 presidents, a fact about them, and the year they were elected. AP lang is also a lot of work, but mostly in class essays which are then peer reviewed and graded by your peers (no tests either). I’m mainly worried about AP Pre-Calc because of the workload (however I am good at math) and AP macro/Micro because the teacher is not good at all. Currently I take an online class (sign language 2) which fulfills my language credits, although I will be taking sign language 3 online once that course is available in my area. Once again, thank you so much for your response!
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