How Much Can You Get Ahead with Running Start?

Running Start is a program that is available to Washington State high school students during their junior and senior years. Through this program, high school students are able to attend classes numbered 100 and above at local community colleges and some 4-year institutions without the pain of paying tuition. But buyer beware! Students are still responsible for paying technical fees (which vary from college to college) and purchasing textbooks (which can cost up to $150 dollars per class per quarter). 

But despite the (sometimes hefty) price tag, many students in this area attend Cascadia Community College, Edmonds Community College, Bellevue College or Lake Washington Technical College. Some students take advantage of this program in order to gain college credits that can be transferred to a four-year university while others get an Associate's Degree before graduating from high school. In addition, some students take a few college classes on top of three or four high school classes or attend community college full time. The program is extremely flexible and can work to whatever the student's needs and ambitions may be. 

I have attended Edmonds Community College for the past school year and have enjoyed every moment of the experience. The community college atmosphere is extremely different when compared to the typical high school classroom. The passion and experience that my teacher (Masako Nair) brings to the classroom makes the learning experience that much more fulfilling. Being in the classroom with students who come from a wide variety of backgrounds has helped me grow as a person and as a student. One of my classmates is fluent in four different languages, another aspires to go to law school and yet another is a high school senior. Although I am the youngest in my classes, I don't feel out of place and, on the bright side, I get helpful college and life advice from my peers.

The academic rigor is obviously higher than the typical high school course, but if a student is dedicated to completing all homework assignments and attending every class during the quarter, they should have no problem adjusting to college level classes. I definitely feel that this is a great stepping stone between high school classes and four-year university classes. 

Recently, state legislators have been advocating for a plan that would force high school students who participate in the Running Start program to pay for up to 10% of their tuition. Although I am sad to hear this news, I feel that this is another unfortunate indicator of how much the economy has affected our state. But I still feel that the investment a student can make to participate in the Running Start program will pay off in the long run. 

Do you , or someone you know, participate in Running Start? What do you think of the new payment plans for students in the program?