Many MHS students choose to challenge themselves and get ahead by taking Advanced Placement (AP) and community college courses. Community college classes can be taken during the school year and during the summer, albeit with restrictions depending on a student’s grade level. In general, college classes are usually the better option out of the two in the case of elective courses and ones not related to your interests.
MHS only allows students to take up to three AP classes a year. At higher grade levels, this limitation becomes hard to work around because there are many AP classes at MHS that you can take alongside the mandatory history, math, and English requirements. These core classes also have their AP equivalents. Basically, if a student were to take all their mandatory classes at an AP level during the school year, they could not take any more AP classes—no AP sciences, AP Art, AP languages, or any other specialized APs. This situation is difficult for many high-achieving students—like those who have been in the accelerated math and English classes since Freshman year—who find they have to give up an AP class they are interested in (many of which are only available to upperclassmen) to complete their mandatory subjects at the advanced level. Taking these core classes at a community college is a great solution to this problem, especially if one or more of the core classes have nothing directly to do with the field a student wants to pursue. It works out quite well: A student takes AP classes for subjects he or she is particularly interested in and takes community college classes for those required courses that do not fit in one’s schedule. Furthermore, students can also take college classes in subjects they are curious about but unsure whether or not they wish to commit to. Taking such classes will allow them to explore how such a major would work and give them a leg up if they decide to take more classes in that field of study. It also connects them to professors who can give advice and personal experiences to help them decide what they want to do in the future.
An argument against taking community college classes is that they are less rigorous than their AP counterparts and less standardized. There is some merit in this stance; however, for a typical student taking community college classes, who is just there to take classes to free up their schedule, this claim does not matter. More often than not, they are not there to learn about something in a field they wish to work in. They are not taking the class to learn more about a subject they are passionate about. In fact, the argument could be made that community college class standards are perfect for students in these situations. It is widely accepted that community college classes are harder than normal classes but easier than their AP equivalents. This situation is perfect for such students; they just want to earn their mandatory credits and not be completely bored while doing so.
Lastly, you are not guaranteed college credit when taking an AP class. Many colleges only accept certain AP credits and require students to retake classes even if they have taken the AP equivalent. Students could find themselves retaking the exact same class in college despite having paid the hefty $100 fee for their AP exam and studying all year to pass it. Furthermore, you are not guaranteed to pass the exam either. It is possible for a student to maintain an A all school year in their AP class only to fail their AP test. Taking college courses is safer in the sense that credits transfer over easier, and they are a reflection of the grade you earned in the class—not just one do-or-die exam. Furthermore, even if some, usually private, colleges still force you to retake those community college credits, it is not as bad compared to your AP exam score being completely discredited and one year of hard work going down the drain. For numerous courses, taking the community college version is safer for actually earning credit for classes you do not want to take again when you actually go to college.
In general, I would highly recommend students to take classes in subjects they do not wish to pursue as community college classes instead of AP classes. Students taking AP classes they are not interested in often find themselves unmotivated and unwilling to put in the extra effort required for such courses. Many teachers will tell students that deciding to take an AP class is a dedication and should not be taken purely for a GPA boost. The amount of effort and time needed for an AP class should only be invested in subjects that matter to the student—not for a class they are forced to take that equates to no usable credits in college. On top of that, college courses can be used to explore topics of interest to a student, some which are not offered at MHS. Community college classes are a great resource that should be taken advantage of by driven students looking to focus their attention and curriculum on subjects they care about.
