Hi! I’m wondering if my junior year course load is strong enough for college. I’m planning on taking courses at my high school along with being a full time community college student. Im on track to earn my AA. Your thoughts are appreciated!
At school:
Algebra 2 honors*
Spanish 4
Test prep (an elective that lasts a few months)
My community college schedule:
Sem 1:
Introductory chemistry
English research and writing
Introductory statistics
Sem 2:
Anatomy and physiology 1
Introductory biology
World history
Gym/a fourth class (don’t know if that would be too much, should I register for a fourth class? What would be the more rigorous option)
Summer 2023:
I’m definitely taking precalculus over the summer.
*I was planning to take summer math at my local college this summer, but after taking a placement test and being placed into higher level math ( a combined precalc/calc 1 class) I had no option but to take that class as I wasn’t placed into algebra. It did meet my algebra 2 requirement, however, having other obligations made me reconsider taking this class as it was not only accelerated (an 8-week class) but it was also assigning me 10 lessons a week in homework. I could not manage that, so I dropped the class 
The short answer is yes, there are many many colleges across the country that will be available to you based on this junior course load. The longer answer depends on more questions:
Why do you want the AA?
Are you aware you do not need the AA degree to be competitive? Focusing on maximizing the opportunities at your own HS will also be a great path to getting into many colleges.
What types of schools are you targeting? Do you have a major in mind(it is ok not to!)
What is your parents’ budget(as many users will point out, this one should really be the first Q)?
Thanks for responding. My state has a really strong DE program, and my state flagship accepts the AA, which means that I can save on 2 years of college. I’m targeting more selective schools, and I understand that the AA may not be accepted there, but it’s an amazing option should I decide to remain in my state. I also want the guarantee of college credit rather than AP credit. I’ll still take some classes at my HS, but would rather take college classes. It’s a really well-recognized program, and I think that it’s fine if I don’t take a lot of AP’s at my school when the college classes are comparable.
As for my major, I’m thinking of majoring in biology/BME (although I’m leaning towards bio) and for some schools, I might apply for programs that focus on global affairs/econ. I’ll need a near full-ride to every school.
Ok, great! Just understand that for the more-selective schools (especially if you mean most-selective top25 type schools that get a lot of air time on CC), they strongly tend to prefer that you take the most rigorous courses your high school offers, and DE is not typically seen as equivalent to APs when the student’s HS offers an array of APs. I recommend you meet /call your college counselor as soon as you can and ask the specific question: what courseload do the kids who get admitted to XYZ schools take?
However, if your family circumstances mean you really need to go the flagship and use the AA to save 2 years of tuition, then please by all means follow that path! It sounds as though you have a wonderful state flagship and it may be the best bet financially, especially since you need close to a full ride.
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