Tuan Phan
Perspective from a Current Running Start Student
My two years at SPSCC as a Running Start student have been
an amazing experience. Running Start has done many
wonderful things for me.
In my personal opinion, the foundation to success in education is motivation. I think every student is intelligent, yet not all students are motivated to do well in school. I believe that lack of motivation is a direct consequence of lack of interest. The activities and academic curriculums that are interesting for one student may not be for another. For many, high school is the answer, but for some, college level classes and a college experience might be a better alternative.
I chose Running Start because it was the right path for me. The wonderful thing about Running Start is that I get to choose classes that interest me most. Because my long term goal is to become an engineer, the majority of classes that I selected are geared towards making this goal a reality. Therefore, all my classes have high relevance and I'm very much captivated by the topics being taught. That is how I acquire the motivation necessary for success. Because I enjoy my classes and know exactly why I'm there gives me tremendous pride and motivation to do well in it.
Besides from having the freedom of selecting the right classes, Running Start offers an exceptional undergraduate education for a fraction of the cost of University life after high school. In my case, Running Start provided the financial support that I greatly needed to further my education.
Classes at SPSCC are taught by excellent instructors with Masters' and PhD's on their subject. Instructors such as Cesar Villasana have showed me the deeper meaning to mathematics while Steve Dickerson emphasized on how to live a moral life. These are a few examples of the many things that motivate me to do well in school and kept me interested in Running Start. If I had to choose my educational path all over again, I would still pick Running Start.