As a professor of Education and Psychology, I’ve taught first-semester college students for almost two decades, so I think about whether students are ready to be in our classes. Now that I’m sending my oldest child to college in the fall, I’m also looking at it from a new angle. Is she actually ready? How can I help make sure she is ready? What does “ready for college” mean, anyway?
Three misconceptions about being ready for college
Ask people what this means, and you’ll get myriad answers. Some answers more closely resemble what I’ve seen as a professor and academic coach than others. Here are three common ideas floating around about “college readiness” that are less than useful:
Checking Off Things From a Checklist
Being ready means having all your materials prepared. This includes tactical preparedness,…