In light of the recent FBI sting dubbed Operation Varsity Blues, and with so much of the media’s bandwidth currently being dedicated to certain high-profile universities and their (wink-wink) acceptance policy concerning students with wealthy and over-zealous parents, this seems like a good time to look beyond the demoralizing college admissions racket that is fueled by privilege and dollars and to learn about legitimate post secondary alternatives for folks who don’t have a big bankroll.
Take Renton Technical College, for example. A two-year school located just southeast of Seattle, RTC serves over 9,000 students annually. The school offers over 60 career training programs (from culinary arts to welding, and a whole lot in between) as well as classes that help students brush up on background skills needed to succeed in college and the workplace.
And out of the 34 two-year colleges accredited in the state of Washington, RTC boasts the highest completion rate. In addition to getting in the front door, after all, it’s important to know if you’re going to have a good chance of graduating in a timely way.
Late last month, over the relative calm of spring break on campus, hammers were still clanging in the carpentry shop, and there was activity also at the automotive maintenance building, where the doors had been thrown open to the warm afternoon. Over in RTC’s main administration building, meanwhile, Financial Aid Director Celva Boon and College Relations Director Katherine Hedland Hansen sat down to talk about the guiding philosophy of RTC.
An antidote to college admissions scandals
By Barbara Lloyd McMichael
RTC Financial Aid Director Celva Boon and accounting student Aurelia Turcan – both came from families where higher education hadn’t seemed to be in the cards. PHOTO CREDITS: Renton Technical College