What Are Best College Prep classes and Courses
What Are Best College Prep classes and Courses. College Prep classes are advanced-level classes that prepare you for the type of schoolwork you’ll experience in college. College prep is a confusing term because it can refer to three different things!
Sometimes, calling something a college prep class is just a way to differentiate it from remedial classes on the one hand, and honors/AP classes on the other.
- Other times, college prep is a way of describing a bunch of government or private programs that are designed to increase access to college for those who would ordinarily be unlikely to go.
- And finally, college prep is a short name for high schools that place an overwhelming emphasis on getting their students into college.
Types of College Prep Classes
International Baccalaureate (IB):
The IB curriculum, like AP and Honors, provides advanced teaching to students, but the emphasis is on creative critical thinking about wider topics and global concerns. You can earn college credit by testing well at the end of the term, just like AP, but you can also earn an IB diploma by taking all of the required classes.
Advanced Placement Program:
In terms of intensity and pace, AP classes are similar to Honors—sometimes a touch more difficult—but they also allow you to earn college credit. You take the class and receive a (weighted) grade, which is recorded on your high school transcript. Then, after the year, you take the AP exam and receive a score ranging from 1 to 5. You can earn college credit for that course if you score well enough on the exam (typically a 3 or better, although it varies on the college).
Honors:
Honors classes are a more difficult version of a high school subject. Honors classes, which are tailored to high-achieving students and involve critical thinking and in-depth research, are often offered to students in the top tier of their class.
Other classes you’ll need to take to get into college differ based on what you want to major in and where you want to go to school. If you want to be prepared for a pre-med program, for example, you should study biology, anatomy and physiology, and other science-track courses. Many schools demand two years of foreign language classes, regardless of major.
College Prep vs. Honors/AP vs. Remedial Classes
Because “college prep” refers to the core set of high school classes, this term has basically become the way to identify the standard class level. College Prep is the class you will take when you are not being challenged by the honors or AP version of a class, and when you are not placed into the remedial version of the class for catch-up.
How Do I Enroll in Honors Classes?
If you know you want to take honors classes in high school, you might be wondering how to get started. The answer will vary based on the school, but in most circumstances, you should start by speaking with your student adviser or guidance counselor.
Explain that you want to take an honors course and that you want to know what the requirements are to get in. As a prerequisite, you may be required to complete a project or take a standard-level class in some situations.
Advantages of College Prep Classes
Independence:
Preparatory schools encourage young pupils to take responsibility for their ork. They will be encouraged to learn crucial time management skills as well as how to balance academics, the arts, athletics, and social life. Prep students are also asked to join or form their campus organizations or groups based on their hobbies, talents, or interests.
Academic Integrity:
For first-year students, college courses might be exceedingly intimidating. Longer essays, the introduction of foreign concepts, and a general difficulty in managing and multitasking are all present.
Intimate Learning Environments:
Preparatory schools are supposed to be extremely supportive, despite strong academic requirements and difficult course conditions. The finest college prep schools include small student-to-teacher ratios that stimulate extra-curricular activities, assist students in developing close relationships with instructors, and ensure that difficult students are watched and receive personalized attention.
College Prep = Programs to Increase College Access
Sometimes the term “college prep” is a way of referring to a set of programs that work to increase college access, especially for students who are least likely to enroll. These programs focus on building academic skills, handle college admissions or financial aid, involve families and mentors, and sometimes incorporate service projects.
The Federal TRIO Programs
These programs are targeted to assist low-income, first-generation, and disabled students.
- Talent Search serves low-income, first-generation students. The program provides a range of counseling services to help students graduate from high school and earn a college degree.
- Upward Bound is for students from low-income backgrounds that have inadequate secondary school preparation. Students from traditionally underrepresented groups are exposed to a simulated college experience that is rich in academic and motivational support. Students receive tutoring, counseling and individualized instruction to help get ready for college.
- Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP). GEAR UP works to increase college awareness and preparation among low-income and minority students from seventh grade through high school graduation, providing them with intensive tutoring, mentoring, college/career planning information, and sometimes also scholarships.
- The Student Support Services Program (SSS) helps low-income, first-generation and disabled students attain a college degree. Support services provide students with needed help through academic advising, career counseling, mentoring, tutoring, financial aid guidance, and some financial aid.
University Programs
- The University of Colorado’s Pre-Collegiate Program is an academic enhancement program designed to motivate first-generation and underrepresented students middle and high school students to pursue higher education.
- The University of California Early Academic Outreach Program (EAOP) is a pre-collegiate student academic development program that provides academic enrichment, entrance exams preparation, academic advising, and college knowledge.
State Programs
- New York also has the Pre-Collegiate Preparation Programs which develops collaborative partnerships between colleges, schools, community organizations, parents, students, business, and government so that students in New York State have every opportunity to be successful learners.
- Florida’s College Reach-Out Program (CROP) provides educational support to low-income, academically disadvantaged students in sixth through 12th grade by helping students develop and maintain the knowledge, skills and attitude necessary to successfully pursue and complete a college education.
- California Student Opportunity and Access Program (Cal-SOAP) seeks to raise the achievement of low-income and first-generation K-12 students and provide them with the opportunity to attend higher education.
College Prep = Schools Focusing on Successful College Application
“College prep” can refer to a specific type of high school, where lots of focus is placed on the concept of college. These schools can be public, private, boarding, parochial, and charter schools – just as long as what they most emphasize is getting into and graduating from college.
Examples of these kinds of schools are:
- At Cardinal Ritter College Prep High School in St. Louis, students earn up to 18 hours of college credit before they leave high school.
- At Gateway High School, a charter school in San Francisco, all 9th graders visit a college on their first day of school.
- At the Gary Lighthouse Charter Schools, every student researches colleges and develops a list of reach and safety schools and writes a paper outlining their plan for applying to college. In fact, students don’t earn a high school diploma if they aren’t accepted to at least one college.
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