jumpstart program offers authentic college experience to high school students

By: Alex Kersh

Since the mid 19th century, the education system has generally followed a noticeable pattern: go to school, graduate, and get a job. As the world modernized, the pattern has commonly included  matriculating to one of the thousands of higher educational institutions around the world.

Today, requirements for admission into colleges and universities have become growingly complicated, and many students are left wondering how they can get ahead of the competition.

While there are many pre-existing methods to improve resumes and get an early start to college – including after-school programs, internships, and Advanced Placement programs – one program has emerged which allows high school students to actually take college courses during their high school years.

​Specific to the Howard County Public School System, JumpStart has developed and piqued the interest of many high schoolers. Instead of taking certain classes at a student’s home high school, students dually enroll at Howard County Community College.

“It's a partnership between HCPSS and HCC that allows current HCPSS students in grades 8-12 to take college courses,” said Glenelg’s Career Advisor Lindsey Beil. “Many of the available courses allow students to earn both high school and college credits, and many courses are offered at no cost to students.”

Beil has been a proponent of JumpStart for more than a decade, and said she has seen the benefits Jumpstart poses for high schoolers.

“In my 13 years of working with the JumpStart program, I have seen this open many doors to students,” Beil said. “I’ve had many students who either believed they couldn’t go to college, whether it was for financial and/or academic reasons, or who wanted to get a head start on their college coursework.”

This year, 155 students were enrolled in the JumpStart program.

“It's amazing,” junior Manpreet Singh said. “I have flexibility in getting ahead of my peers and finishing courses that one only could start in college. I'm beyond happy that I decided to do it [JumpStart].”

Students generally have a positive outlook on the program, with its advantages and college experience provided.

Signing up may not be as simple as one would hope, but JumpStart holds multiple in-person and virtual information sessions to assist aspiring students in signing up before registration is either booked up or closed.

JumpStart is genuinely a useful stepping stone to getting both early college credit and the college experience itself. It is an opportunity one doesn’t want to miss, with little downside and immense upside.

“Ultimately the goal of the JumpStart program is to provide an opportunity for students to gain an authentic college experience while working towards their Associate’s degree and/or industry-recognized credentials,” Beil said.