What would you tell a friend taking Advanced Placement or Dual Enrollment classes? Do you give people props for taking them or do you say, “Why make your school year more complicated?”

What makes these classes different from any other Miami High class? Assistant principal Ms. Leal said, “The level of dedication required from students is higher. These are the types of classes that prepare you for college.”

AP student Kimberlin Morales, a senior, said, “These classes put more pressure and expect more from you. Students have to learn to take responsibility for their work.”

Who is up for the challenge?  

Why would a Miami High student want these classes? Junior Carlos Castillo, who takes AP Chemistry, said, “I want to be a civil engineer and the class is required for my career.”

Kimberlin Morales, who’s taking AP Spanish Lit, said, “I am taking it because it helps me get in touch with the famous works by Spanish writers and poets, etc. Even though I know the language, you learn new things from the works.”

Senior Maria Maldonado, who takes DE Intro to Computer Programming and DE ENC1101/ENC1102, said, “I want to get my English college credit already and the Dual Enrollment intro to computer class was just given to me.”

For the students in these classes there are benefits. Senior Joel Brito, who’s taking DE writing rhetoric and dual enrollment programming said, “In my writing class I learned very important rules of grammar.”

Assistant principal Ms. Leal adds, “They offer college credit and are paid by Miami Dade Public Schools, which saves money and a lot of time. This helps students finish the first two years of college earlier.”  However, she warns, “If students slack off and do poorly in these classes, they will start college with a low GPA.”

How hard can they be? 

Though both DE and AP classes are college level classes, some Miami High students say that these classes aren’t too hard. Senior Sebastian Gombea, who takes DE ENC 1101, said, “They aren’t difficult, just more challenging, because of the high college expectations.”

Carlos Castillo who takes AP chemistry said, “They are not that difficult as long as you study hard.”

On the other hand, Kimberlin Morales said, “It is kind of challenging, mainly because most plays, we read are written in old Spanish with language and words that aren’t common or known to this generation so you have to reread the work a couple more times.”

Maria Maldonado said, “Most nights I only get 3 – 5 hours of sleep trying to complete assignments on time.”

Teachers of AP and DE agree that the classes can be challenging.    AP Biology teacher Dr. Yoham said, “The limited amount of time makes the class difficult. AP Bio is a 2 semester course in college. The amount of information that needs to be taught is very difficult.”

AP English Literature teacher Ms. Puentes said the most difficult part of these classes is keeping students going until May. “Many of our students have multiple AP/DE classes, and in my case, with seniors, once senioritis hits, it becomes difficult to motivate.”

Another challenge for her as a teacher is the paperwork in an AP class seems endless. “However, it is extremely necessary when you are teaching students critical thinking that will lead to literacy analysis and passing the exam,” she said.

DE or AP?  

The main difference between AP and DE classes is that in AP you need to pass the final test to get credit for that class. In Dual Enrollment you have to take the class and do your work for a grade that will earn you college credit.

To some, AP is more challenging than DE. “In Dual Enrollment, you concentrate more on learning the actual material since you don’t have an AP test at the end. I feel that the pressure from teachers into covering what’s going to be on the test is more than to actually learn,” said senior Manuel Baldizon who takes English DE.

Senior Gabriella Barraza, who takes AP Macro Economics, AP Physics, AP Spanish and Dual Enrollment PE, said, “I find the AP classes a lot more difficult because DE is mostly bookwork.”