Interested in starting YOUR college journey?
College Now is your best bet at WHSAD!
College Now is a CUNY based program which offers high school Juniors and Seniors to apply to a wide range of introductory college level courses. The courses vary from Public Speaking to Psychology. 10 introductory- college level courses are offered either online or in person.
The courses focus on giving high schoolers a taste of not only the courses being offered, but a taste of the campus lifestyle.
Who to keep in mind:
As mentioned above, the College Now program is available to both Juniors AND seniors who have a 75 or higher on the English Regents and an 80 cumulative average. All ten of these courses are hosted at New York City College of Technology.
Applications begin early spring and end late summer, but it’s best to get in contact with your guidance counselor as soon as possible as they need time to send important information such as your application and transcript.
What?
When applying for the program, students get to choose three courses they may be interested in during a semester. This is in case your first option is already full.
Each course allows you to earn up to 3 credits if you are successful passing the course with a grade higher than a “C”.
Now the program has a dual purpose. As by taking a course now, you are able to transfer those credits towards ALL CUNY and SUNY colleges/universities. If the major you ultimately want to pursue has a class that you’ve already taken, the credits will transfer over and you will be able to “skip” that class or pick another elective. Another pro is by not taking the class in college, you can potentially save about $950 give or take.
Why would you apply?
From personal experience and other students, College Now offers a bridge from high school to college. With the program, you are able to experience lectures, roam aimlessly around campus, and be able to make friends in unlikely places.
It’s fundamentally an appetizer of what’s to come, assuming you want to go to college of course!
Student Experiences
Mia Kokilashvili – Junior
I took PSYCH101 because I want to take psychology in college, and I wanted to take the 101 class to get it out of the way.
Yes. I would definitely take another class.
It was more of a personal thing. It wasn’t because the class was bad. I didn’t know what to expect in a psychology class and this wasn’t what I expected. But that’s just me, it wasn’t bad.
Alexander Diaz – Junior
I took a Public Speaking class for the fall semester, which really brought me out of my comfort zone. As I usually struggle when presenting to a large group of people, the course helped me understand what the “ideal” presenter should act like as well as adapt to different types of audiences and genres.
What really drew me into the program was the campus, as you were free to roam around CityTech campus whenever it was open, so that was a nice bonus!
Ana Chinchilla – Senior
Well I took Psychology online and it wasn’t anything hard. It’s a bit demanding in a sense, but not as if I was going to school. Because the hours were split into two different days, and if I stayed for the full five hours, I don’t think I would be able to pay attention.
There’s more work and focus than you have to do in high school. In College Now, we have more strict deadlines.
It was pretty fun. It’s like a “new” experience when you’re in high school, and it makes you realize the work you’re going to have to do in college, and the 13 weeks of the program go really fast.
The only thing you have to worry about is finals. That’s all.
K-Shima Noble – Senior
The first time I went, I took psychology and then sociology.
From these classes, I learned a lot about myself as well as other people and how society functions and treats people because of the differences we may have. And personally I kind of learned how to manage MY emotions better as well as to help others manage theirs.
I think the College Now courses will benefit me as I did take a college class and experienced many of the habits and the structure of the college setting. Now I know what to expect once I go to college, and it’s not going to be so different for me.
Words from Ms. Terraferma – Guidance Counselor
The program is targeted to college bound students, really anyone who plans to go to college for an associates or bachelors degree. Its a great opportunity to experience college, but get a lot of benefits from being in high school.
So they’ll go a little slower, the classes are all high school students, so you get to meet with other students from different high schools. Therefore, you can make new friends. It’s geared towards students who want to get a head start.
It’s been proven that students who take College Now are more likely to have a successful high school-college transition, and I think its great for students to explore different subjects, like psychology, sociology, or even public speaking.
We’ve been working with CityTech for a really long time, and we think it’s a great program.
All the Guidance counselors recommend the program.
Conclusion
A variety of benefits can stem from participating in the College Now program. Such as an easy transition from high school to college, an understanding of the types of courses offered in college, and earning college credit.
If any current Sophomore or Junior is interested in participating in the program the fall of 2023, they should report to their assigned Guidance Counselor for additional information.