What I Wish I Knew as a Running Start Student

When I decided to do Running Start at my local community college, I had no idea how it would impact my future college experience. Here are five things I wish I knew before transferring to George Fox University as a Running Start student.

You’re Not Out of Place

Being a Running Start student in college is weird. The age-old question of “what year are you?” tends to have me shifting in my seat. I was a freshman, in a freshman dorm, hanging out with freshmen, but I was also taking senior-level classes and studying with upperclassmen English majors.

Was I a freshman or a junior? There was never usually an easy answer. But what I found as I continued meeting new people was that there were other Running Start students everywhere. Two of my best friends are both Running Start students, and I’ll even be graduating alongside one of them in the spring. 

The more people I met, the more I realized how normal it was to have credits coming into university. Even if you don’t have your associate’s degree, there are other students at Fox who are in the exact same place as you.

Running Start Doesn’t Mean You’ll Only Be at Fox for Two Years

Before I started Running Start, I thought getting my associate’s degree meant I could just Thanos snap two years of college away when I got to the university level. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work that way. I was lucky my major (English) is not a credit-heavy major, so I will graduate in two years, but for many majors, it’s simply impossible.

It’s important to decide how long you want to be at George Fox. For some people, they want to be at school for longer because of the social aspect, and having an AA to lighten the workload can be really helpful. However, the tuition at universities can also motivate students to graduate early and avoid extra costs. 

Make sure you have a good idea of how long you want to be in college and don’t be afraid to stand up for yourself. Meeting with your Career and Academic Planning coach can be a really helpful way to make sure you are both on the same page and your goals are realistic.

Take a Mix of Electives and Major-Specific Classes

One of my biggest regrets from when I was in Running Start was that I took whatever electives I wanted. I didn’t have any rhyme or reason – I took whatever looked interesting and fulfilled my requirements.

When I transferred to George Fox, I mostly had a load of elective credits that didn’t help toward my academic requirements. No, I’m never going to use Human Geography again, and Small Group Communication wasn’t particularly helpful either.

What I wish I had done was look at the requirements for my major and try to take some of those classes, or at least some upper-level courses. I had a really broad and really random class list, but almost every class I took was a 101 or 102. The only reason I’m able to graduate on time is because my mom made me take two literature classes my last year at community college.

Go onto the George Fox website and look up your major. You can easily see the main classes you need to take for the degree. Try to take one or two of them before you come to Fox. It will give you an idea of what your major will be like and it will help you get ahead.

Understand the Workload

Depending on how many years you want to be at Fox, be prepared to have a heavy workload. For me, I’ve taken 15-18 credits each semester in order to graduate in the timeframe I wanted. However, if you bring your associate’s degree into Fox but still want a full college experience, you can easily cruise through with a 12-15 credit workload each semester.

Running Start can be a great tool to help students get ahead and mitigate a little bit of rising tuition, but it can also work really well as a resource to enjoy college more. By taking lighter class loads, you can get involved in some of the many clubs George Fox has to offer, as well as have more time to build connections with friends and explore other campus events.

Working ahead in high school can also pave the way for adding a minor or double major. One of my friends is double majoring in business management and marketing and still graduating in three years, while also being involved in campus opportunities like being an RA and TA.

Enjoy Your Time at Fox!

Finally, my advice is enjoy your time at Fox! Whether you’re going to be here for four semesters or eight, find your people, find things to be involved in, and have fun. George Fox University has something for everyone, so do your thing (or things) and have an amazing experience along the way!