16 year old Running Start Student. Interested in BSN.. But will my AA be help?

Graduation2016 · Oct 16, 2013

From what I have read you naught have to check with the school(s) you're interested in attending. They might have an issue with your age as far as clinicals. I think the hospitals can deny you from doing clinicals of you're not 18. Good luck!

mrsboots87 · Oct 16, 2013

I'm not sure how running start works, so you will have to ask the school, but can you take your nursing school pre reqs. Like have your AA be in science so you have a reason to be taking a&P and micro bio with your other gen ed stuff. Then when you graduate you will have either all or at least some of your pre reqs done. So in a roundabout way, your AA will help you by having your pre reqs done so you can apply directly into an ADN or BSN nursing program. No matter which degree you go for, there will be 1-2 years in pre reqs required. So you may as well try to get those out of the way now to get a head start on getting into your program. Also, make sure your mostly, if not all, A's in your pre req courses so you can be competitive. Then you will have a good chance at getting into a BSN program fresh out of highschool. It will give you a 2 year head start on most other applicants.

Dranger · Oct 16, 2013

I always thought running start was a waste of time. Sure you save some money and knock out two years of college in high school but with this advantage comes problems:

1. Maturity, you finish college at 20 and now what? You don't have any life experience and not many people will take you seriously, my former GF did running start and had a huge problem getting a job with her BA at 20 years old.

2. You miss out on the fun of high school, seriously those memories are important when you get older

3. Even worse you miss out on two years of FUN in college, I couldn't imagine having my true college years cut in half because after that real life hits you like a sack of bricks.

Honestly, if you are REALLY strapped for cash I would say go for it, but otherwise just do your BSN as a normal kid coming out of HS. Running start isn't going to give you any advantage and there is a big chance the pre req classes with roughen you up at 16....

OrganizedChaos, LVN · Oct 16, 2013

Lol. I had no fun in high school (I was SO glad to get the EFF out) & I never went to a traditional route of university. I went to community college, got my LVN. If you want to speed up the process, go for it!

SoniaReb · Oct 16, 2013

I totaly disagree with Dranger. The Dual Enrollment (DE) Program (Running Start in some States) is an excellent opportunity for above average High School Students to enroll in College level courses while still in High School. In some cases, these DE students can obtain their Associates of Arts/Science Degree at the end of the program, while at the same time completing all the requirements of their High School Diploma. In my State, the DE Students do not pay a single dime for any of the DE College Courses (Over 50K Students in my State are enrolled in DE Courses)!! In essence, they only have to do 2 years at a four year college. Not only are these students completing the Bachelors Degree much earlier than normal, they save in excess of, anywhere from $20K (Public Universities) to over $60K+ (Private Institutions). Now, who wouldn't jump at the opportunity to save, at a minimum, the cost a new car.

In all the studies I have seen, there are no empirical data to suggest that these students are any less mature than your average College graduate. Spending 5+ years in undergraduate are by no means a yardstick of the level of maturity. High School these days are not as fun place to be as it was 15-20 years ago. My daughter, who is a Dual Enrolled Student at a local College, dislikes her High School and as she puts, "with all the drama" that takes place at her particular High School. High School Students, for the most part, spend very few hours per day outside of the classroom. She will spend her final year in High School on the local Community Campus, before moving on to finish her Nursing Degree at one of the State University. Essentially, she would have spent 3-years, full time in College, instead of the normal 4+ years. She is currently doing all her Nursing Prerequisites as part of the DE Program and hopefully, enter the BSN program directly out of High School.

I do not know of any DE/Running Start program that allows the student to do an ASN while on the program, so completing your prerequisites is the best you can do while on the program. So caseylynn97, go for it and get your prerequisite courses done. There might be some variation (mostly Humanities/General Education Courses) between Universities you might be interesting in attending after graduation, so try to look at the list and try to do DE courses that are required for a number of these Universities, while completing your High School Diploma Requirements also. Think about the thousands of dollars you will save your parents, the time savings and the fact that you will be earning a salary for at least 2-years (~$90K) while your peers labor in College. This will also allow you to enter an advanced degree program (Nursing or otherwise) at a much younger age than your peers. I don't believe there is any better program out there that can match the Running Start/Dual Enrollment Programs. I often wonder why most High School Juniors/Seniors do not go this route....it is an awesome opportunity....make the best of it!!!

vitamingirl722 · Oct 16, 2013

Talk with your highschool guidance counselor, I'm sure you can take the nursing pre-reqs as a part of your general AA though. Doing Dual Enrollment while in highschool is definitely not a waste of time as long as you can handle the workload and maintain good grades bc its on your transcript foreverrrr. Regardless, for any degree you have to complete the general ed requirements that vary from state to state(like speech class, english comp etc.) so you shouldn't get out the program without seeing a counselor first.

Dranger · Oct 16, 2013

Lol. I had no fun in high school (I was SO glad to get the EFF out) & I never went to a traditional route of university. I went to community college, got my LVN. If you want to speed up the process, go for it!

God I am sorry...

OrganizedChaos, LVN · Oct 16, 2013

God I am sorry...

For? I grew up in a small town so everyone knew everyone's business. Lots of gossip & bs. I decided not to go to university because it wasn't right for me & my learning style. I didn't miss out on anything. Hell I didn't even go to my prom & don't regret it.

DoeRN · Oct 17, 2013

I think it's a great idea. My high school had a different program that involved advance placement classes. I took several and when I went to college I was considered a sophomore even though technically I was in my first year of college. But I do recommend going into a BSN program instead of an ADN especially with new grads having so much trouble finding jobs now.

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bluesky94 · Oct 17, 2013

Dual enrollment is awesome. I was able to take a lot of the nursing pre-requisite courses at my community college while I was still in high school (plus I graduated with 18 credits). Now I only have 5 pre-requisites to finish up before I can start the nursing program! :)

I think it's a great idea to start early and get your pre-requisites out of the way, especially the Gen Ed classes like math, English, speech, psychology.... But before I started dual enrollment, I talked with a nursing adviser at my college and it helped a lot....

Best of luck with whatever you decide to do!

:wideyed: