<p>OP has posted elsewhere about having financial need. I am just a parent, not a pro, but having raised children, I am now familiar with a few cohorts of kids who have gone on to college, and I know many of them since kindergarten. Preparation for AP/honors classes actually starts young, and some kids with financial need have ended up on another track for lack of opportunity. The OP’s school is private, and CP classes may be a higher rigor than our public schools. Many kids in our honors classes feel the jump from high school to university. CP is even a bigger one.
If a student with high financial need is poorly matched to a college, and has trouble, it can lead to difficulty graduating and then the student has no degree, and debt. Support programs and mentoring are vital. I know my own state has some in place for state residents who attend state schools and I have seen them in others. Our large state flagship is huge and competitive. Honors kids have been challenged there. Some of the smaller, maybe less prestigious branches are supportive.
Many CC’ers focus on the prestigious schools, but for pre-med and perhaps everything else, success in college without massive debt are more important. OP is having success exactly where he is: a strong GPA, a good relationship with teachers and peers. IMHO it is not as productive to interrupt this in first semester senior year as it is to continue doing well and applying to colleges. The next step is to build on this success by choosing the best fit college. It is possible to major in Econ and be pre-med as long as one takes the prerequisites.</p>