What does it mean to be “college-ready?”
In the NYGEAR UP program, you’ll hear a lot about being “college ready,” but what does that really mean?
Today, more than ever, a college degree is a requirement for careers that pay a living wage and provide opportunity for success in life. The goal of the NYGEAR UP program is to teach the skills needed for your child to be ready to apply for college, know how to pay for it, and graduate with the skills needed to enter a career-track job.
There are five areas of preparation that will be emphasized in the NYGEAR UP program to get students college ready:
- Academic readiness: The ability to succeed in college classes that earn credits toward a degree at a technical, community, or four-year college or university.
- Admissions readiness: The ability to meet admissions requirements for a wide range of postsecondary education.
- Career readiness: The ability to identify careers that match personal, financial, and other goals, including an understanding of the skills and education required to pursue and succeed in those careers.
- Financial readiness: The ability to cover the cost of postsecondary, higher education through college financial aid, savings, or loans.
- Personal and social readiness: The ability to set educational goals, make and monitor progress toward them, and create relationships with peers and adults that support academic success.
Even if you never attended college yourself, there are ways you can support your student now, through their first year of college. We invite you to take an active interest in your student’s life and encourage him or her to take an active part in school and activities, including the NYGEAR UP program. We’ll provide tools and pointers along the way to help you support your child’s college and career dreams.
Read why your middle school student still needs you and review a checklist of the ways you can support them in 7th and 8th grade.
Listen to high school students and recent college graduates have to say about being college ready: