Build Academic Confidence Through Pre-College Programs

Read this brief to learn how to help remove students' expectations and doubts and build confidence through pre-college programs.

Read this brief to learn how to help remove students' expectations and doubts and build confidence through pre-college programs.

Remove student doubts about their academic abilities

In many cases, the gap between aspiration and outcomes for historically underrepresented students can be attributed to a lack of confidence or a lack of academic self-efficacy.

Research has documented the stress that all students face on the path to college. However, that stress has a more significant impact on the confidence of underrepresented students.

More on this topic

This resource is part of the Facilitate Student-Centered Course Redesign Roadmap. Access the Roadmap for stepwise guidance with additional tools and research.

The findings of these studies about teacher, parent, and student expectations suggest that students ultimately develop college aspirations in very different environments. For many continuing generation, upper-class, majority students, college attendance is almost a forgone conclusion.” Low-income, firstgeneration, and underrepresented students, on the other hand, confront persistent doubt and skepticism that they will attend college or earn a degree.

Identify less visible contributors to stop-out

A common way to ease the transition to college and ensure students are academically and emotionally prepared is through bridge programs, boot camps, and orientation activities. While these pre-college programs can have a positive impact on student success they do come with certain limitations.

Intensive programming that focuses on specific student populations effectively support targeted students, but their size limit their scalability and reach. Conversely, large-scale orientation programs may touch every student on campus, but they do not provide the necessary transition support.

Rethink bridge programs

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