Preparedness for College: Expectations vs. Reality

Indianapolis, IN

Students attending college come from various backgrounds. These students come from different high schools, and received different levels of preparedness for colleges. Currently, there is a sense among faculty that the freshmen are not prepared for college level work. Understanding why students vary in levels of preparedness will help create strategies in how to better ready students for college. This paper will look at how high schools prepare their students for college, and how colleges define being prepared. It then compares how schools and colleges think about preparedness, and seeks to explain how to bridge any gaps that may exist.