As a running start student I could talk about how my experience at community college helped prepare me to transfer to a four year university, but the lessons I learned there were primarily limited to academics. Sure, I learned how to be successful in a college class room, that online classes don’t fit my learning style, and going to Hong Kong for two weeks in the middle of the quarter will significantly lower a GPA. (I eventually retook the classes from that quarter.) However, throughout my time at community college I was searching for a passion to pursue and was coming up short no matter how diverse my class schedule. In the end, the experience that ultimately prepared me for college was my gap year with AmeriCorps National Civilian
