Almost every high schooler worries about college and the cost that comes with it. Of course there are scholarships and financial aid, but one opportunity not many students at NHS are familiar with is the Start College Now program. Previously called Youth Options, the program combines the high school with Fox Valley Technical College. You could graduate with college credits that you can put toward a degree later, or use to get a job straight out of high school.

The Start College Now program is a great opportunity for high schoolers looking to gain college and high school credit, all for free.

NHS will pay for a student to take a college course at the technical college in Appleton, during their normal school schedule. The course must be one that does not have an equivalent offered at Neenah; for example if someone wants to do a culinary course, they should instead take one of the culinary courses here at the high school. According to the course guide, some classes that could be taken include classes dealing in health care services, agriculture or technical labour.

Transportation to and from the college is dependent on the student. In order to be eligible for the program, you must be enrolled in NHS, have completed the 10th grade at the time of applying, and be in good academic standing with no criminal record. There are also prerequisites depending on which class you are applying to, and you must meet individual course requirements such as a certain GPA, etc. The Wisconsin Technical College lists the deadline for applying to your school as March 1 for the fall semester and Oct. 1 for the spring semester. Your school counselor can help you get the forms needed. Once you submit your application to the school, your counselor should send it to the principal to look over and affirm that you are qualified for the program. They will then send it to the technical college that you are applying to, which will then communicate with you. The Wisconsin Technical College System advises to ask the Career Prep Coordinate for the college for help with applying and enrolling.

It can be tricky for students to organize their schedules around a college class. But if you can manage to get enough credits to graduate and still attend all classes, some requirements can be waived in special cases. There is also the catch that you have to pass the class and attend regularly, or else payment will fall onto you.

The program benefits students because it helps them pay for expensive technical courses. For example, I personally am enrolled in an EMT Basic class for next semester. I will be earning five college credits and one and a half high school credits. Taking this class independently would have cost me more than $1,200, plus the price of books. But thanks to the high school, it is already entirely paid.

The Start College Now program is beneficial to students during their high school careers and later on in life by allowing them to get a free jump start on college and their career.