Mixed Views on How High School Prepares Students for College

Kaylie Barber, Staff Writer

It’s a question every high school student has asked themselves. Why wouldn’t they, when they are spending their formative years of life taking classes to be prepared for a higher education that will overall shape their career and life? 

Several students are still feeling unsure about their readiness for college, and blame the school system. One such student expressed their concerns about this. 

“As a student who has dual enrollment and is taking college courses alongside my high school classes, I had to learn how to register for college classes on my own and teach fellow students how to, as well,” said a senior at Imagine Prep, who has chosen to remain anonymous. “I had to learn how to sign up for the SATs on my own and study for them without any assistance from higher ups.”

They further explained that due to the extreme lack of guidance they had when it came to actually taking dual enrollment college courses, they felt even more uncertain about going to college as a full time student. 

 “As much as I love the amount high schools encourage a college-level education, I feel that so many fail to provide students with the resources necessary to be successful in doing so, thus leading many to either drop out and/or carry a heavy burden on their mental health.” 

They then explained what they thought was their idea of being prepared for college. 

“I feel that in order for me to feel prepared for college, I need to have resources that help me understand what college is exactly like and how to successfully navigate myself through it.”

College is no doubt an investment for students, and they rely on high school teachers to help prepare them for that huge investment of their time and money. Michele Pelletier, an English and Senior Capstone teacher at Imagine Prep provides her perspective on teaching high school students and preparing them for college. 

She explained that out of everything she had taught, critical thinking and communicating were the most important things when it came to preparing her students for college. 

“No matter which career field they will be pursuing, all students need to know how to understand what they are reading and evaluating the validity of it,” said Pelletier. “The ability to communicate effectively is also a skill that helps to prepare students because they learn how to talk to their peers and their teachers using proper tone and diction fitting to their audience.”

Pelletier expressed that the way students view school could be improved in order to better prepare them for college. 

“I would love for students to realize that while they may not utilize the content of some of their courses outside of high school, the skills that they are learning within those courses can be transferred to their careers,” said Pelletier.

Michele Pelletier, English and Senior Capstone teacher at Imagine Prep. (Michele Pelletier)

She admitted that it’s difficult to see whether students are prepared for college, but the teachers- herself included- try their best to help them. 

“[We] hope that they utilize the tools they are given throughout their time with us to help them be successful,” she said. 

How do you feel about college? Do you think high school has prepared you well enough for it?