What Does the "College Experience" at a Pre-College Program Really Look Like?

Many pre-college programs promise high school students a preview of college life. Living in a dorm, taking classes on a university campus, and learning from college professors certainly looks like college. But how much independence students actually have can vary dramatically from one program to another.

In our experience, we've seen everything from programs where students are given nearly the same flexibility and responsibility as college freshmen, getting themselves to class, deciding when and where to eat, and managing their own free time, to programs where students remain with counselors for much of the day and follow a predefined group schedule. We've also encountered programs that emphasized extensive supervision in their materials (perhaps to reassure parents) but turned out to offer considerably more independence in practice.

It's often difficult to tell from program materials which model to expect. A few clues may help, although they're far from foolproof. Programs that accept younger students may provide more supervision. Longer residential programs may assume greater independence from students who are prepared to spend several weeks away from home. If one is available, try to look for the residential handbook. The program website may promise an opportunity to "experience college life," but the handbook is more likely to spell out curfews, check-ins, rules for leaving campus, mandatory activities, meal arrangements, and other practical details.

We've had a few surprises about how structured or unstructured a program turned out to be. Interestingly, they have generally worked out well either way. When the academic content was engaging and the environment made it easy to connect with other students, the level of independence ended up being secondary to the overall experience.

That said, in our experience, older students (and students who have already attended several residential programs) may place more value on greater independence. It's therefore worth considering not simply whether a program offers "the college experience," but what kind of college experience your student is ready for and wants.

If the level of independence matters to your student, here are a few questions that can help you understand what the day-to-day experience will actually look like:

• How much unscheduled time do students have?
• Do students get themselves to classes and meals independently?
• Are students expected to participate in organized activities during their free time?
• Can students move around campus independently?
• Can they leave campus, and under what conditions?
• How often do counselors check in with students?
• Is there a curfew?