by Gianna Gammello

The time to make schedules for next year’s school year is now upon us. Much concern from students in regards to Advanced Placement classes (AP’s) and Dual Enrollment is well known. So what are AP classes and Dual Enrollment? What are the benefits in taking these classes, and how do you go about taking them?

Advanced Placement classes are a part of a program deriven from College Board that offers high school students collegiate level curricula and an exam at the end of the course to possibly gain college credits. These classes are more advanced versions of already existing subjects. Palisades High School currently offers the following AP classes: AP Biology, AP Calculus, AP Chemistry, AP Computer Science A, AP Computer Science Principles, AP English Language and Composition, AP Literature and Composition, AP European History, AP French, AP German, AP Physics I, AP Spanish, AP Statistics, AP Studio, and AP United States History. 

Whether or not one should take an AP course is dependent on how much one wants to excel in a given subject. If you do well in a certain subject, perhaps you find the course load of a regular subject quite easy for you, so you may want to consider taking an AP class for that given subject. For example, if you excel in English and find the work comes easily to you, you may consider taking AP English Language or AP Literature to learn about advanced areas of the English subject. AP classes are not limited to those who excel in a given subject. Many take AP classes to challenge themselves. Additionally, if you take the AP test for the class, the test score you receive can replace introductory classes in college, allowing for less college tuition and possibly even graduating early from college. However it is important to keep in mind that students must meet prerequisite requirements in order to take an AP course. These requirements can be found on the Palisades High School’s website with instructions listed below.

If you are interested in taking an AP Course, you can retrieve a paper with information for each AP course in Guidance or look up hs.palisd.org on your web browser, click on “For Parents and Students” and then “Advanced Placement Program 2024-2025”. There will be online information on each course and will also have the link to Google Form of the 2024-2025 Advanced Placement Request (on this Google Form, you can also find the link to the listed prerequisite requirements). Some AP courses require additional assignment(s) for requesting to take the class. 

Be bold! If you think you’d like to take the next step in your strengths for a subject, learn if an AP class is right for you either from the sites listed above, schedule a meeting with your guidance counselor, or talk to a friend or peer you know who took the AP course you’re interested in.

Dual Enrollment is another additive of high school many may not know about. Dual Enrollment allows students to take real college courses with a professor from Bucks County Community College. The most common courses are Introduction to Psychology or Sociology. These courses allow students to meet with a college professor every Tuesday and Thursday during first period to learn college level material and gain college credits. 

On the days students do not have their Dual Enrollment class, they will be given a study hall that they have the opportunity to fill with late arrival – granting them the ability to come to school after first period on the days they do not have the college class.

Dual Enrollment is a great way for students to get a feel for what a college course would look like while being in a setting where they can talk to real college professors about college related issues. Many students who plan to major in psychology or plan to attend Bucks County Community College benefit greatly from this course, but also students who may not have any plans in regards to psychology or Bucks Community. 

If you are interested in taking this course, stop down to guidance for additional information about it. You can also put down “Dual Enrollment” as a course when filling out your schedule and your guidance counselor can assist you further.

Palisades High School offers many classes that allow students to progress their journey in academia. Those courses however may not be well known to students. Stay tuned for future articles in regards to school tips you may not know about!