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Proper Adjustment: Programs Help Students Get Ready for College and Succeed on Campus (The Baltimore Sun, Feb. 4, 2018)
While programs to assist freshmen are critical, the University of Baltimore takes it one step further by partnering with local Baltimore City high schools to ensure that students are ready for college before they even set foot on campus.
UB’s College Readiness Academy, a 10-week program during the fall and spring semesters, sends UBalt faculty to Baltimore City high schools to preview college-level math and writing. UBalt partners with nine high schools and two middle schools. All are public schools except for St. Frances High School, as that school is located a half-mile from UBalt and considered part of the UBalt community, according to John Brenner, director of early college initiatives at UBalt.
“Our partner high schools said that writing and math were the areas where students needed the most help,” says Brenner.
Eligible students can also participate in UBalt’s dual enrollment program in the spring to earn college credit while still in high school. “These are real UBalt courses with the same assignments and syllabus as a college course,” says Brenner. “It’s great exposure for themas they get to meet professors and brag to their friends that they are a college
student. It’s a great motivation for them to attend college.” Brenner knows the challenge of attending college from personal experience. “I dropped out of high school on my 16th birthday, but I went back to school, got my diploma and now have four college degrees.”Additionally, UBalt has a five-week Summer Academy where eligible students earn one college credit. “We partner with community-based organizations and students are registered for YouthWorks (Maryland Office of Employment Development) where students are actually paid to attend the Summer Academy. Last year we had 223 students in the Summer Academy, double the amount of the previous year,” says Brenner.