College Ready combines online and overnight opportunities to create the ultimate college prep experience for high school students. This holistic program combines a broad college readiness experience with a jumpstart in analytical skills exploration to help prepare students for college success. The College Ready staff work closely with our UW–Madison campus partners to provide students with up-to-date information regarding admissions, financial aid and more. Any interested high school students are welcome to apply.
The online experience is taught online in Canvas and Zoom, the same software UW–Madison and countless other universities use to teach their students. Each class session is 2 hours long and can consist of content delivery, collaboration, work time, guest speakers, and instructor feedback. The overnight experience culminates the program and is structured to give students opportunities to explore the UW-Madison campus and all that it has to offer. Meet with UW-Madison experts in various fields related to college preparedness and visit undergraduate classes, all designed to give students a taste of what it means to Think, Prepare, and Act like a college student.
Why is College Ready @ Badger Precollege the right fit for you?
Comprehensive
We’ve partnered with UW–Madison Admissions, the Office of Student Financial Aid and the Career Exploration Center to provide presentations and discussions on college admissions, financial aid, choosing a major, navigating college and more. Students will have the opportunity to ask questions in a small group setting during live Q&A sessions featuring the same UW–Madison professionals who assist incoming undergrads on their college-bound journeys.
Synchronous
Classes are offered synchronously, meaning that students are together in the same virtual classroom at the same time with their instructors.
Flexible
The course is offered online multiple times throughout the school year to best fit your schedule and keep you up-to-date on college topics year-round.
Program at a glance
When
Fall Session: October 16–November 4, 2023
Spring Session: TBD
Fall Online: Mondays and Thursdays, 6 –8 p.m. CT
Fall Overnight Experience: November 2-4, 2023
**To participate in the overnight experience, students must complete the online experience**
Homework commitment
Approximately 1 hour per week
Who
Current high school students (grades 9-12)
Tuition
$400 for online session only
$600 for online and overnight experience
Contact Us
Email us at info@precollege.wisc.edu or call us at 608-890-3260 for further information.
“I enjoyed getting the chance to not only learn new things but also learn with new people; I really appreciated getting to discuss with groups, and I made a new friend!” —College Ready Student
Set for Success: College Admission Prep
Fall Session
This course dives into the College Admissions process with the goal of giving students a toolkit for decision-making about undergraduate institutions they are considering attending, a draft of an admissions essay or portfolio, and an immersive experience into campus culture and resources. We do this by exploring all the things you are curious about: Admissions, Financial Aid, Study Abroad, Choosing a Major, and more. Through our online and overnight experiences you will have the opportunity to meet with Admissions Counselors, Career Advisors, UW experts in various fields, and current UW-Madison students all while immersing yourself in UW culture. See below to find out more about how this course could impact your college preparedness.
Critical Reasoning
Focused course; Spring Session
College students engage in reasoning all of the time, but improving our reasoning can be exceedingly difficult and is done primarily through practice. In this course, students will examine their own reasons for believing what they believe, with an eye to determining which of their beliefs needs to be changed and how to go about changing them. We will examine the ways human reasoning tends to go wrong, how to identify instances of good and poor reasoning, and how to improve one's own reasoning. Our online and overnight experiences will provide students with opportunities to engage in discussion and fact-finding that can only happen in a collegiate experience. Stay tuned for more information to be released by January 2024!
Overnight Experience
This is a general, sample itinerary. A formalized itinerary, packing list, and necessary forms will be provided after registration.
| Time | Activity |
| Thursday, November 2nd | Day 1 |
| 6–7 p.m. | Check In |
| Evening | Welcome dinner and events. Possible events include: UW Student Panel and visiting Memorial Union |
| Friday, November 3rd | Day 2 |
| Morning | Visit an undergraduate course; campus tour |
| Afternoon | Meeting with UW-Admission; Essay/portfolio workshop |
| Early Evening | Exploring State Street and Campus; Dinner |
| Evening | UW Madison Event |
| Saturday, November 4th | Day 3 |
| Morning | Farmer’s Market visit; Essay/portfolio work on campus |
| Afternoon | Final workshop and presentations; check out |
More information about the overnight experience can be found in the Frequently Asked Questions section below.
How to register
Complete the online registration for Set for Success, ensuring you choose between the online only or online and overnight experience options. Courses are available on a first come, first served basis.
If you are applying for a scholarship, be sure to submit your DPI form before registration. For details, see the Scholarships section below.
The tuition of $600 (online and overnight) or $400 (online only) is due at the time of registration.
Complete any additional forms provided after initial sign-up in a timely manner.
Refund Policy*
A full refund, minus a $50 nonrefundable administration fee, will be issued anytime between registration and the day prior to the program starting. Students dismissed for disciplinary reasons are not eligible for any refund. Students voluntarily leaving while the program is in session are not eligible for any refund.
All requests for refunds must be received in writing to info@precollege.wisc.edu. Refunds may take up to eight weeks to process, starting from the time a written request is received by Badger Precollege.
Cancelation Policy
Badger Precollege reserves the right to cancel classes when necessary, including those for which enrollment numbers are not sufficient, or those for which a highly qualified instructor is unavailable. In the case of course cancellations, we will be happy to help you choose an alternative course. If no acceptable alternative is available, we will refund any tuition paid, minus any non-refundable application fees or deposits.
Time zone considerations
College Ready @ Badger Precollege requires students to participate in online synchronous learning during central time on the days listed. Please use this tool to take this into consideration if you live in another time zone.
*Please note that this policy differs from our other Badger Precollege refund policies. This is because the registration timeline is much shorter for College Ready than for our other programming. Thank you for your understanding.
Important dates
Scholarship application deadline
October 11, 2023
Program registration deadline
Fall Session: October 11, 2023
Program dates
Online experience: Mondays and Thursdays; October 16–October 30, 2023
Overnight experience: November 2-4, 2023
Scholarships
We are pleased to offer College Ready @ Badger Precollege scholarships to students who qualify for free or reduced lunch in the state of Wisconsin*.
To apply for a scholarship, please fill out the first section of the DPI form and email it to us info@precollege.wisc.edu OR mail it to our office:
Badger Precollege
21 N Park St, 7th Floor
Madison, WI 53715
Tuition is due at the time of registration. If you qualify for free or reduced lunch, please submit your DPI form first with your school’s Authorized Representative signature before submitting your registration, and we will further direct you.
DPI forms are due by October 11, 2023 for the fall session. We will notify registrants as to the status of their scholarship within a week of application receipt.
Unfortunately, we are not able to offer scholarships to students who do not receive free or reduced lunch at this time.
*If a student wants to take multiple sessions of College Ready, they are welcome to do so, as both the Fall 2023 and Spring 2024 College Ready sessions are included as one DPI Scholarship. Depending on availability students may be eligible for an additional DPI scholarship to attend another Badger Precollege Program. To see a full list of Badger Precollege programs, visit the ‘Badger Precollege Senior’ tab above. To learn more about scholarships and the application process for various Badger Precollege programs, visit the Financial Information page.
"The thing that I most enjoyed about my college ready course is that it allowed me to learn and try something new." —College Ready Student
FAQs
Learning Experience
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What is the online experience like?
Classes are held synchronously, meaning that you will be in the same virtual classroom as other students at the same time. Classes include small and large group discussions, collaborative projects and short lectures, making classes spaces for students to connect and engage with one another.
Why should my student participate in an online pre-college experience?
Online Precollege Programs provide an opportunity to prepare for college, academically, financially, socially and culturally. For College Ready, we’ve partnered with UW–Madison Admissions, the Office of Student Financial Aid and the Career Exploration Center to ensure that our curriculum prepares students for college.
Why should my student participate in the overnight experience?
The overnight experience is unique to Badger Precollege and is just one way we facilitate Thinking, Preparing, and Acting like a college student. This experience gives students access to campus resources and culture all while solidifying their final project concentration. We will visit campus centers that provide support to undergraduate students and take in aspects of campus life that are unique to UW-Madison or reflect what you might find in a college town, all while meeting Office of Youth Protection policies.
What technology is required for College Ready?
We ask that you have access to reliable internet. Chromebooks, Windows, Linux and Apple computers are all welcome. We recommend that you have a minimum 2mb downstream and 256k upstream internet speed.
Which platforms will be used for this program?
Classes are taught online in Canvas and Zoom, the same software UW–Madison and countless other universities use to teach their students.
Is this program completely online?
Yes and no. While students can solely enroll in the online portion of the program, the comprehensive experience is delivered when completing the overnight experience.
What if a student needs academic help?
If a student needs academic help in this program, we ask that the student reach out to their teacher (if their teacher hasn’t already reached out to the student) and ask about next steps.
Overnight Experience
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What does transportation look like to and from campus?
Students are responsible for getting themselves to Madison. Students traveling by bus or airplane can arrange a shuttle by using the contact information below. Pickup and drop off can only occur 1 hour before or after check in and check out occurs. Before booking your mode of transportation, please use the contact information below to coordinate arrival/departure times.
Contact Jamison Wendlandt at jamison.wendlandt@wisc.edu.
Where will my student be staying?
Students will stay in one of the hotels on or nearby campus. Due to Office of Youth Protection guidelines and undergraduate students living on campus, we are not able to provide lodging in the dorms. We do, however, provide this during our summer programs. Checkout Badger Summer Scholars or the Accelerated Learning Program for more information about how your student can have a summer dorm experience!
Will my student have a room to themselves?
No. Students will share a room with another College Ready participant. Each room is a double room, with one bed for each student.
When and where will my student eat?
Students will eat in one of the campus dining halls. A total of five meals will be provided during the overnight experience. See the sample itinerary to learn when these will occur.
What should my student bring?
A packing list will be provided after registration. Students will not need to bring much as this is only a two-night experience.
Should I send extra money with my student?
While all meals will be provided, students will have the opportunity to visit places like State Street or the UW Bookstore. Students may even want to grab ice cream at the Daily Scoop, featuring ice cream made by UW’s own Babcock Dairy.
My student will be missing a day of school. Can I receive a form to verify my student's participation in the overnight experience?
Yes! We will provide a document if needed to verify your student’s participation in the overnight experience for the purpose of attendance tracking with their school.
Course Offerings
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What will students gain from this program?
Students will not only learn about the college admissions process, financial aid process, majors and more, students will also gain lifelong analytical skills crucial to college success. College Ready provides students with the tools to zone-in on all aspects of the college process so that they can forge their own path to college.
Are students assigned homework outside of class?
Yes! Outside of class, students can expect about 30 minutes of homework per class session.
Which other programs do you offer outside of College Ready for high school students?
While College Ready is our primary Fall and Spring high school program, we offer a wide array of Summer programs for high school students.
- For those interested in music and musical theatre, we offer Summer Music Clinic Senior.
- For those interested in other subjects like STEM, political science and philosophy, we offer Badger Summer Scholars.
- Lastly, for students really craving a challenge, we offer the Accelerated Learning Program, which offers courses in STEM, Political Science and Economics at a faster pace.
Enrollment
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Who can attend College Ready @ Badger Precollege?
Any and all high school students! As long as you are in grades 9, 10, 11 or 12, this is a program for you.
What are the application requirements?
There are no admissions requirements, so don’t worry about grades or writing an admissions essay. Within a week of registering, you will receive a confirmation email regarding course selection and further details.
I made a mistake on my registration form and I already submitted it. Can I fix it?
Please emailinfo@precollege.wisc.edu if you need to make changes to your registration.
I am homeschooled. May I register?
Homeschooled students are welcome!
What is the cost of tuition?
College Ready is $600 for the online and overnight experience, or $400 for the online experience only. Tuition is due at the time of registration.
Safety
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What is the staff to student ratio for College Ready?
The staff to student ratio is kept small to provide personal attention to each student, 1 staff member for every 10 students.
How will you keep my student safe online?
All programs will have a teacher and at least one teaching assistant at all times. All program staff have been background checked and all have taken required trainings from The Office of Youth Protection and Compliance. All classroom platforms, Zoom and Canvas, have been vetted and approved by the University of Wisconsin, Madison. For further questions regarding student safety, please contact The Office of Youth Protection, compliance@precollege.wisc.edu.
How will you keep my student safe on campus?
As with our online experience, students will always interact with at least one teacher and teaching assistant. While staying overnight, students will have access to at least one residential assistant who will provide supervision and support. We maintain supervision ratios of 1 staff member for every 10 students in all settings. All program staff have been background checked and have taken the required trainings from the Office of Youth Protection and Compliance. For further questions on student safety, please contact the Office of Youth Protection, compliance@precollege.wisc.edu.
As a parent, may I record my child’s class?
For the safety of all students we ask that you do not record classes. For further questions, please contact The Office of Youth Protection and Compliance, compliance@precollege.wisc.edu.
Do you still have questions? Please email us at info@precollege.wisc.edu.