College Ready @ Badger Precollege is a three-day online college preparation course 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. High school students from anywhere in the world are invited to apply.
College Ready @ Badger Precollege offers the choice of four program courses. Each course helps you:
- Hone the skills you need to succeed in college
- Learn more about college admissions, financial aid and navigating universities of all sizes
- Prepare for college academics
- Set yourself up for future success
Classes are taught online in Canvas and Zoom, the same software UW–Madison and countless other universities use to teach their students.
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 teacher and teaching assistant.
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
Session I: October 23, October 30 & November 6, 2021
Session II: March 5, 12 & 19, 2022
Online together: Saturdays, 9:00 a.m–12 p.m. CT
Homework commitment
30 minutes daily
Who
Current high school students (grades 9-12)
Tuition
$475 per 3-day session
Contact Us
Email us at info@precollege.wisc.edu or call us at 608-265-5391 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
Intro to Research Skills
What does data mean, quantitatively and qualitatively in STEM? How can data impact scientific reasoning and social issues? This course helps you understand how to break down a problem’s data into tasks for a computer to solve (algorithms), and how to break projects into tasks for humans to solve collaboratively (projects). Apply your knowledge to a data analysis or programming project of your choice using real-world examples from Microsoft, Google and the MIT Media Lab.
Analytical Reasoning
Human beings engage in reasoning all of the time, and improving our reasoning can be exceedingly difficult. 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. In this course, 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.
Writing Your College Essay
Most colleges require applicants to write a personal statement or essay, so the admissions committee can better get to know candidates like you. How do you construct a personal narrative in only a few paragraphs? Which strategies can help you showcase who you are and why you're an excellent candidate? This course helps you understand the ins and outs of writing about yourself. Build your college or scholarship application with essays and personal statements you write, edit and polish in this course.
Financial Essentials for College Planning
Preparing for college financially can be a significant challenge for many families. Are you ready to navigate it? This class will help you understand options for funding a college education and prepare to make confident decisions during the college application and admission process. We will explore financial aid processes, look at the options for merit and need-based aid, and learn how to compare financial aid packages offered by colleges and universities. In this class, you will learn how to approach finding the school that offers the best financial fit for you as a student.
Schedule
| Saturdays | 9:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. central time | At your own pace |
|---|---|---|
| Intro to Research Skills for College Success | Discuss real-world data sets in small groups, explore algorithms as a class and more. | 1-2 hours of homework each week |
| Writing Your College Essay for College Success | Learn what makes a great personal statement, peer review each other’s essays and more. | |
| Analytical Reasoning for College Success | Learn how to think about human reasoning, how it can go wrong, and how to improve one’s own reasoning. | |
| Financial Essentials for College Planning | Learn more about the different options for funding a college education and how to navigate the financial aid process. |
How to register
Complete the online registration for Intro to Research Skills, Analytical Writing or Analytical Reasoning. 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.
If you are an international student, see the International Participants section for details.
The tuition of $475 is due at the time of registration.
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.
*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
Five days before program start.
Program registration deadline
Session I: October 21, 2021
Session II: March 3, 2022
Program dates
Session I: October 23, October 30 & November 6, 2021
Session II: March 5, 12 & 19, 2022
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 18, 2021 for session I, and February 28, 2022 for session II. 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.
*Please note that students who accept a scholarship through the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) are only allowed three DPI scholarships per year. If a student wants to take multiple sessions of College Ready @ Badger Precollege, they are welcome to do so, as both sessions of College Ready are included in the DPI Scholarship! Similarly, if that same student wishes to take both College Ready @ Badger Precollege and Accelerated Learning Program (ALP) within the same year and DPI funding is available, that student may do so. The current year is defined as July 1, 2021–June 30, 2022.
International participants
English proficiency recommendations
To be successful in the College Ready @ Badger Precollege Program, we suggest that students demonstrate at least intermediate-level English through a minimum TOEFL score of 80 or IELTS score of 7.0–7.5. If you do not have a test score available but would like to see if your English is proficient for College Ready @ Badger Precollege, you may request a phone or video interview with College Ready @ Badger Precollege program staff. To schedule an interview, please email info@precollege.wisc.edu.
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.
"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
Covid-19
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How will COVID- 19 impact College Ready?
Because this program is fully online, you can expect no cancellations or changes to our program due to COVID-19.
Online Learning
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What is the online program 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 take an online pre-college program?
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.
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. You do not need to be in Madison or on campus to take this program.
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.
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 night.
Which other programs do you offer outside of College Ready for high school students?
While College Ready is our primary Fall, Winter 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 $475 for a three-week session. Tuition is due at the time of registration.
Safety
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What is the teacher to student ratio for College Ready?
The teacher to student ratio is kept small to provide personal attention to each student, 1 teacher for every 10 students.
How will you keep my student safe online?
All programs will have a teacher and teaching assistant in the virtual classroom at all times. A third person, a Badger Precollege Administrator, will float between virtual classrooms to act as an extra set of eyes and ears. 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 and Compliance, 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.