Kendall Riley

Oct. 11, 2022

Have you ever wondered if running start is something you would like to pursue? If you have then here is some more information that you may need to solidify your decision.

Running start is a program that gives juniors and seniors the opportunity to take college courses at local colleges such as Green River, Bellevue, and Renton Technical College. This program lets students take classes that fulfill their high school credits while simultaneously gaining credits toward an AA degree under the school’s tuition.

Some students may be worried that they aren’t the “right type of student” to take a running start because they don’t know what is expected of them. Well, when asking Amy Luther, one of the counselors here at the high school, she said, “I would recommend a student that takes Running Start is a mature student, a student that is able to advocate for themselves, also a student that is able to self manage their time.” These are college courses and they set you the same expectations as everyone else at the college.

Course loads are probably the most wondered topic when it comes to running start. Makenna Drummond, a current running start student at Green River Community College said, “The course load is a lot, at times it gets hard to manage but once you get the swing of things it becomes easier. But definitely more than high school courses.” 

Some people work and might be worried that they won’t have enough time to do both running start and their job. Caitlin Mangel, also a running start student at Green River, goes on to the college campus for classes all the while having a job. “I used to be able to work any shift at my job when I was online,” Mangel said, “but since I started going on campus I haven’t been able to work those same shifts.” 

Drummond also spoke on the subject of work as a fully online student and said, “It doesn’t affect my work schedule but with having work, it’s harder to manage time.” So running start may hinder your work schedule but if you manage your time wisely it’s possible

For those that are worried that they won’t be able to do school-sanctioned activities such as sports, clubs, or dances, there is no need to worry, “Some kids do all their classes at running start and even those kids are still part of all the high school activities.” Luther answered. Running start students are still a part of the high school so they are able to do all of the fun stuff going on just as much as the students currently attending classes at the high school.

For more information on running start and registration, you can visit the future-ready center or you can go to this link:

Running start information