 Hi everyone, my name is Michelle Johnson and I'm the program coordinator of the Running Start program here at Highline College. This is our information session and I as well as one of our academic advisors, Elisa Tran, will be going over this information session with you. I will be covering what Running Start is and our benefits and considerations. Elisa will take over and she is going to look at our different programs that we offer, resources and these steps to enroll. We've got all of our Running Start staff here, a few advisors and myself as well. An overview of what we'll be going over in this information session, we have what is Running Start, so what does that look like for students, why specifically Highline College, our academic programs that we offer, the steps to enroll in our program and we won't be doing Q&A's since this is a video instead of in person but typically we would have Q&A's for everyone. So first off, what is Running Start? It's a dual credit program for high school juniors and seniors enrolled in a public high school. So this program specifically, you have to be a junior or senior and you have to be in public high school. If you are a homeschooled student, we just recommend that you enroll in whatever your local public high school is or you can contact your district office as well. You can earn credits that may count toward both your high school diploma and your college degree. So like I said, dual credit program that means you get credit for both high school diploma at the same time as receiving college credits. Those credits will transfer with you if you decide to move on to a four-year university or off to another college. You also get to experience the college environment as a college freshman which essentially means that as a Running Start student you are just like every other college student here on campus. You're taking classes with every other student. There's not specific Running Start classes. They're open up to everybody. So that's a few ways to think about Running Start. We have some benefits and then we'll also go over the considerations as well. You can save money on your college education. This is a big one for a lot of people with Running Start. There is a lot of costs that comes along with getting your college education. So Running Start can definitely help relieve some of that. We cover tuition costs, things like that. One common misconception for people is that Running Start completely covers the entire cost of college and while we do cover probably 90 to 95 percent of it, there is some costs that go along with it. So just be aware. We'll go over that in future slides as well. Running Start offers a flexible class schedule meaning if you want to take classes early in the morning you're welcome to. I know a lot of people don't want to start till 10 a.m. and that's an option too or if you're working for some reason and you want to take classes in the evening that's an option as well. We've got different forms of classes. So you can do on campus. You can do online. You can do a combination of the two which is called hybrid. So there's lots of different flexible ways that you can choose your classes. We have a variety of course options. So unlike high school where maybe there's specific history class that everyone takes with Running Start, there's a bit more variety that you can choose or if you're interested in sociology or psychology or maybe you want to learn about astronomy. There's lots of different options for you as well. And then the last one potential to earn an associate's degree or certificate. This one takes really careful planning. You can potentially earn an associate's degree through Running Start. We just recommend that you work really closely with Running Start advisors because it's a very close timeline between how long you're in Running Start and how long it takes to earn associate's degree. So we recommend definitely working with our advisors if that is what you're going for. Some of the benefits we have here for the Running Start program are that it can prepare you to transfer to a university or earn a professional technical degree through our Career Start program. We'll go over in detail later on what Career Start is, but just to give you an idea, we have programs here on campus and classes that you can take and the credits that you take here are going to transfer with you to a future college if you decide to move on to a university or move to another college afterwards. So just know that those credits will come with you. The GPAs will not transfer, but they can impact future funding as well, so just keep that in mind. The second bullet, students can participate regardless of their citizenship status. So for students that are potentially undocumented, this is not something that you would need to worry about. We won't ask you your citizenship status and you don't need to tell us. The last one is that you can get involved on campus. We have lots of different clubs. We have learning communities, things like that, which we're going to go over in a future slide as well, but just know that there's lots of different opportunities for you to participate on campus and really envelope yourself in our community. There are some considerations to have before starting Running Start. As I mentioned before, Running Start is not a completely free program. There are some costs that go along with it. And while we do cover a majority of those costs, we just want you to be aware that there are some things that come with it. So the first bullet point shows you that there are fees in colleges all over the country. They all have certain fees that go along each quarter. So whether that be class lab fees, computer lab fees, transportation fees, anything like that, those will typically range from about $50 to possibly $150 each quarter. So just be aware that you may have some things to pay. The second one is textbooks and supplies. Unlike your high school that provides textbooks to you, Running Start does not provide them in that same way. It's something that you would purchase every quarter for your classes. And we go over, during your new student orientation, we go over how to find those textbooks and see how much they cost. The third bullet point shows things that Running Start does not cover as well. So tuition for credits exceeding the approved limit, pre-college classes, and summer quarter classes. So the first section, tuition for credits exceeding the approved limit. If you would like to take extra credits more than what you're allotted through Running Start, you are absolutely welcome to just know that it's not going to be covered through our program. So that's something that you would pay out of pocket for it. The second one is pre-college level classes. This would be below the 100 levels. So for example, Math 81, Math 91, anything like that. Those ones are not covered through Running Start since they are not considered college level classes. So those would be out of pocket as well. The last one is summer quarter classes. Running Start operates on the same timeline as your high school in terms of when we run. So summer quarter is not part of that. We operate fall, winter, and spring quarters. Summer quarter, you are absolutely welcome to take classes through Highline. Just know that those are going to be out of pocket and not through our Running Start program. The last bullet point is transportation. Unlike your high school that has a bus that will come and pick you up, Running Start does not have something like that. You're definitely welcome to use public transportation. And we do have a program here on campus through our bookstore to refund some of that money up to $60 a quarter. So after you have purchased the tickets for the bus, you would then get reimbursed through our bookstore towards money for the bookstore if you're buying books or supplies, anything like that. The last one at the very bottom, Running Start, fee waiver and book assistance program is available for qualifying students. So this is a program for students that are eligible to receive extra funding through our program. The top two bullets fees and textbooks. So you would get your class fees waived if you're eligible for fee waiver. You can also get up to $75 per quarter for your textbooks through our book assistance program. So if you're eligible, you would just apply. We have the form online if you want to take a look at the eligibility requirements. The most common one is if you are receiving free or reduced lunch through your high school, but there are some other possibilities as well. So I would just recommend going on to our website. It's runningstart.highline.edu and taking a look at that. Some more considerations to think about for our program. The first one is independence, responsibility, and maturity are a key to success in college. This one is very important for students to remember. Unlike in high school, where you have people that are giving you specific dates, specific deadlines, registering you for your classes. In college, you are a freshman and you are responsible for taking on all of those kinds of things and very important that you know our dates and deadlines for the college. I can't stress this one enough. We are here to help you. Specifically, we have runningstart advisors that want you to come and see them, but you just have to ask for the help and we will be there for you. The second one, college GPA impacts future academic progress. So with this, like I said earlier, the classes that you're taking here are college classes and they will transfer with you to whatever university or college you go on to in the future. The GPA itself will not follow you, but just know that it could impact future funding possibilities. So if you're receiving financial aid, anything like that, it could impact that in the future. The last one is really important for parents to know. Parents and families have limited access to student records in college. We call this FERPA and essentially it's an Information Rights Act for students. It's the understanding that students are the owners of their own information and nobody else is. So for example, let's say that a parent comes in and is asking about their students GPA. That's not something that I can share with you. The only people I can share that with is the student themselves. So parents, please be aware of how limited your access is going to be. Your student is more than welcome to share that with you, but it's not something that you're going to get from the college or anybody here, including our Running Start staff, their instructors, anybody around the campus is not going to be sharing any of that personal information with you. So just be aware coming in that they need to be independent and responsible for their own schooling. More considerations to have. The first one is that classes are taught at a faster pace in college compared to high school. So what you would learn in one whole year at your high school, you're going to be learning here in three months or one quarter. You would be taking less classes, though, as compared to what you typically would take at your high school. So it's tied at a faster pace, but there's less classes that you'd likely be taking. Second one is students are responsible for registering for classes and paying attention to important dates and deadlines. Like I pointed out earlier, you are college freshmen and it's really important that you know the dates that are happening on campus. So when it's time to register, when it's time to pay your tuition, things like that, you are responsible for knowing those deadlines. The last one is that high school and college calendars differ. So if you are a full-time Running Start student, meaning that you are taking classes only on our campus, then this is not something you'd have to worry about. But if you are choosing to do part-time Running Start, meaning part-time classes here and part-time classes at your high school, then just know that during breaks, our calendars are likely not going to be the same. So for example, spring break, the college has it typically in March, a lot of high schools will have it in April, so just know that you may have classes here when you're on spring break at your high school and you may have classes at your high school when you're on spring break here. Hi, my name is Elisa Tran and I'm an academic advisor with our Running Start program here. So I'm going to cover the second part of this information session where we'll go over academics, resources, and steps to enroll. As Michelle saying, Running Start students can potentially earn an associate's degree during their time here. And so some students take their high school graduation classes and other classes that they might be interested in, but with careful planning, students can potentially earn an associate's degree or a two-year degree. So there are two options within the associate's degree. So students can pursue a university transfer degree, one of the AA or AS options, and those stand for associates of arts and associates of science. And so those degrees are designed for students that are interested in pursuing a bachelor's degree at a college or university after high school graduation. They're also professional and technical degrees. We call them the AAS or AAS T degrees and those stand for associates of applied science and associate's applied science transfer. And so the difference between that and what I mentioned before is that the AAS degrees are designed specifically for a very specific career or trade. For example, if you wanted to be a paralegal, there's an AAS degree for that. Or for example, if you wanted to get your two-year nursing license, there's a degree for that. So it's very specific. Students can also earn certificates, which are just a shorter sequence of classes that provide students with a specific set of skills like in computer science or whatnot. So next we're going to talk about Career Start. So Career Start is another program option for high schools, juniors and seniors that might be eligible for Running Start. So Career Start is a program that prepares students for a career by completing a professional or technical degree. And so as I was saying on the other slide, students that are interested in a very specific degree, like being a paralegal or being like a paraeducator or whatnot, can participate in this program and earn credits for both high school graduation and a professional and technical degree as well. We have really great support services and resources at our college. For example, in our Running Start office, we have academic advisors who can help students with selecting classes every quarter, creating an educational plan or providing supports to students in planning for their education beyond high school. We also have a counseling center here who do mental health, personal and career counseling. Unlike your high school counselors who might do both of those things for you, we have separate departments to take on those responsibilities. Another really great perk about being a Running Start student at Highland is the free tutoring. In the library, we have dedicated staff to support students with their coursework in English, math, and other core subjects like science. We also have tutoring in subjects like economics, computer science, Spanish or psychology. So from editing essays to helping students with studying for their math class or studying for other tests, they're there to help. There are also a lot of other opportunities for students to get involved on campus and explore their interests through clubs, student jobs, student government, and events and workshops. So Running Start students in the past have been very involved. Running Start students like other college students can get involved in all the activities that are offered on campus other than college sports. And our Center for Leadership and Service and CCIE, they're part of the Student Life Department and they have a whole bunch of events and programings that students can participate in. Students can also connect with other students who are from similar cultural background and have similar educational goals through Trio and Mesa and cultural learning communities on campus. Next, we're going to go over the Steps to Enroll. We have five steps to start in the Running Start program here. The first step is to apply for missions to Highline College. Next step is determine your English and Math placement. Number three, complete and submit a Running Start program packet. Number four is attend a Running Start new student orientation session. Number five, register for classes, pay applicable fees, tuition, textbooks, supplies, and other costs. The first step to enroll is to apply for admissions to Highline College. You can apply online and for free at admissions.highline.edu slash apply. After you apply about one to two days after, you'll receive an email with your student ID number and information about how you can activate your student account. This second step is really important to activate your student account because you'll be able to set up your email in that step and all communications from this point forward will be sent to your student email. Next, you'll determine English and Math placement at the placement and testing center. So in order to participate in Running Start, you need to be ready for college level English. So you need placement into our English 101 course. Math placement isn't required, but it's highly recommended if you intend to take any math and science classes here at our college or would like to complete an associate's degree. So there's several ways to receive that college level English placement. So this table shows all the options. First, the placement and testing center will try to look at your high school transcripts and your smarter balanced ELA scores. So if you have qualifying scores there, you won't need to do any of these other options. If neither of those scores work, they'll go down the list of options. And the very last option is to take the Accuplacer reading test. And so that is the English placement testing, English placement test here at our college. And so testing is the very last option if none of those other methods work. For math placement, the placement and testing center may be able to use your high school transcripts as well. So if you've received a certain grade in your math class at high school, like your algebra two or your precalculus class, they'll try to use those to provide you with math placement. The last option is to take the math placement test, which is the my math test. So there are a lot of resources on the placement and testing webpage to support students in preparing for the test if it comes down to you need to take the test. Third step is to complete and submit a Running Start program packet. So the packet includes a Running Start application form, the Running Start enrollment and verification form, or what we call the EVF. And so students have to meet with their high school counselor in order to complete this form. And this form is included in your initial packet, but this is also a form that you'll need to complete every single quarter with your high school counselor. We also need an unofficial transcript. So this is really important because a lot of students do forget to include this in their packet. And so we won't be able to use your grade reports that you can pull up online. We'll need that high school transcript. There's also a optional fee waiver and book assistance form included in the packet. And once that's all complete, you'll submit your completed Running Start program packet to our office. Step number four is to attend a Running Start New Student Orientation. After you complete your Running Start program packet to our office, we'll send you more information about signing up for an orientation session, where you'll learn about how to be successful as a college student, more about our college and opportunities. And during that session, an advisor will also work with you to register for your first quarter classes. Later on, you'll be able to schedule a one-on-one appointment with a Running Start advisor to do long-term academic planning, where you'll plan out your classes in your future quarters. So the last and final step is to finish registering for classes and pay applicable fees, tuition, textbook supplies and other expenses. Just as a reminder, it's really important to be aware of the dates and deadlines at our college. After registering for your classes, if you owe tuition and fees, those charges will need to be paid by or before the tuition deadline. That wraps up our Running Start information session. If you have any questions, please reach out to our Running Start office by email or phone. Our email is runningstart at highline.edu. Our phone number is 206-592-3583. If you're in the area, our office is located in Building 6 on our campus. Feel free to stop by. We'd love to meet you. Thank you for listening and we hope to see you on campus soon.