More kids between the ages of 15 and 18 will be filling Everett Community College classrooms as the Running Start program becomes a better option for high school students, but are they ready to get ahead?

Opportunity is a big draw to the program, but many other factors can influence a student's decision. At Marysville Pilchuck high school, the change to a "Small Learning Community" based school has impacted its Running Start enrollment. "We have noticed a jump [in enrollment]," Carol Fisher said, a high school counselor who works with the Running Start program.

Karl Ritter, a program manager at the college, said that "College education is expensive, and as students and families explore all of their options, they discover that Running Start can be a good choice."

A shift from the more social-life driven high school schedule to the more flexible, focused and motivated college courses is not for everyone. Fisher said it's a "great opportunity for some kids."

"The freedom, flexibility and options let me make better use of my last years of high school because it is not high school," said Tori Duenas, a high school junior with a full-time college schedule. Duenas is aware that the students in her classes are paying for the chance to learn, not waste time.

A stereotype associated with a Running Start student might include disruptive behavior, carelessness during class time and little involvement in group activities. Such traits don't seem fitting when you consider students willing to take on the homework that comes with a full-time college schedule.

"I think that people will make judgments on students before knowing all the information," said Ritter when asked about the stereotype. "Some people will assume that because someone looks younger, they are in Running Start, or because someone is acting inappropriately in class, that they must be in Running Start."

Adapting to college can be hard as the student population is much more diverse and the level of maturity is higher. But that is also a driving point in the benefits of early college experience. High school can be torture for a student ready for a more advanced level of education and eager to step into the real world.

Of the current student population at EvCC this quarter, approximately nine percent are Running Start students, said Ritter. These students have considered what is best for their futures and taken an early step into college-level education, knowing that it requires more.

Running Start students choose to leave their familiar school schedule to accept the challenge of earning a college-level education at a young age, a choice that should be respected and not associated with high school behavior.