The College Readiness Program is an online class that prepares students to transition from high school to college. This two-week program is an engaging way to discover what to expect and how to succeed in college. That is how students become Expert Learners.
Would you like to learn about the tools & resources that will help you be successful in college?
The College Readiness Program will introduce you to the college and technological resources available to help you succeed. You might be surprised at what services are available and how you can use school and personal technology to meet your goals. These tools are specifically designed to aid students in their academic journey, yet many students don’t take advantage of them. I look forward to sharing these insights with you and helping you make the most of these opportunities.
Do you know how to learn?
The College Readiness Program helps you understand how you learn. Expert Learners have a growth mindset and know they can succeed with the right tools and strategies. It’s important to understand that learning happens in various ways for various people in various contexts. Together, we’ll examine your skills and explore strategies to help you do your best academically and organize and manage your time.
Is The College Readiness Program right for you?
Our engaging online program meets face-to-face on Zoom for 1.5 -2 hours (Monday through Thursday) for two weeks. You will be with a small group of peers who are also starting their college journey. You’ll learn about the differences between high school and college, academic and executive functioning skills, communication in college, and more. The College Readiness Program will help you become more confident and more prepared for your college experience.
Get in Touch
Please feel free to call or email if you have any questions or to get more information about the course and registration.
Learn More
Attend an information session to learn more.* I’ll explain the significant differences between high school and college, common challenges, and how the College Readiness Program can help students become more confident learners.
*dates will be posted here soon
Register
You’ll love the convenience of the online, engaging classes that show you exactly how to get college off to a strong start.
Attend
The College Readiness Program is scheduled Monday-Thursday for about 60-90 minutes daily over two weeks. You’ll complete five interesting mini-courses.
Melissa Chabot, MA, MEd
Founding Director and Owner
The College Prep Academy
Meet Your Instructor
I am passionate about helping students learn how to be successful in their college experiences. With over 20 years of experience in higher education, I have seen how the transition from high school to college can be challenging for many students. As a professor of Communication Studies, I worked with many students who really did not know how to learn. There are so many tips and resources I am able to share because I have been in college for a very, very long time! I developed the College Readiness Program to prepare new college students to become Expert Learners, in other words, experts at their learning.
Training & Experience
- MEd Education, with a focus on Special Education, George Mason University
- Graduate Certificate in Autism Studies, George Mason University
- MA Communication Sciences, University of Connecticut
- BS Business Administration, Bay Path University
As a Professor, I taught Introduction to Public Speaking, Introduction to Human Communication, Mass Communication, Interpersonal Communication, Group Dynamics, Communication Theory, Business and Professional Communication, and Introduction to College Success. As a high school teacher, I teach effective communication and workplace readiness skills to students with disabilities.
Become an Expert Learner
Expert learners are:
purposeful & motivated,
resourceful & knowledgeable,
and strategic & goal-directed. (CAST, 2011*)
… In other words, they are really good at learning.
The College Readiness Program offers students the opportunity to assess their strengths, identify relevant resources (like knowledge and tools), and to break down big goals into smaller, achievable steps.
Expert Learners are adaptable, resourceful, and focused on achieving their goals.
*The CAST Organization is widely known for its work in developing the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework.
The College Readiness Program Overview
⭐ Discover how college is different than high school and how you can be ready for this big change.
⭐ Develop confidence in knowing how to become an expert learner.
⭐ Learn about all of the resources and strategies you can use to be more successful in your classes.
⭐ Develop effective communication strategies to help you get off to a strong start in and outside of classes.
⭐ Learn how a growth mindset is necessary for success.
Here’s what students have to say about what it’s like to be a student in Melissa’s college- level public speaking class (comments from fall 2022 official course evaluations):
“Professor Chabot challenged us past our comfort zone and that is what really made us succeed. We became a very close community within her classroom and that was all because of her guidance.”
“Professor is very dedicated to her students.”
“The environment and how Professor Chabot really pulled the class together to make the overall class experience a great start to my freshman year.”
“My instructor is what made me love the course. I missed my first day of class and she took the time to email me and arranged for us to meet before the start of my class, that was when I knew she was not like any other professor, she genuinely cares about her students”
“The teacher was very efficient in her teaching which helped me learn a lot about public speaking. She was very patient and understanding with all of her students.”
The goal of the College Prep Academy’s College Readiness Program is to develop Expert Learners. Our curriculum is guided by the latest peer-reviewed research in education best practices and our extensive experience in supporting students through the transition from high school to college. Students completing this program will have a greater understanding of their unique strengths and challenges, and will develop a plan for becoming an Expert Learner.
⭐Module 1: Understanding the Unwritten Rules of College & Tools for Success
⭐Module 2: Executive Functioning Assessment & Self-Advocacy
⭐Module 3: Academic Strategies for Success
⭐Module 4: Communicating Effectively on Campus and in your Career
⭐Module 5: Mindset and Social/Emotional Strategies for the Successful Transition to College
Also included in tuition is a monthly check-in meeting through the fall 2024 semester. All students are invited. Each month, we hope to continue fostering a community of Expert Learners to share their pride points and their challenges.
We will facilitate a planned discussion around key milestones in the semester such as: starting strong, strategies to prepare for midterm, communicating with teachers, peers, and groups, reflecting on what you’ve learned at the end of your first semester in college.
4th Sunday Meetings are held from 7-8 p.m. on the 4th Sunday of the month:
- August 25, 2024
- September 22, 2024
- October 27, 2024
- November 24, 2024
The College Readiness Program will run in two sessions:
Session 1: July 15 – 25 (morning or evening sessions, times to be determined)
Session 2: July 29 – August 8 (evening sessions only, times to be determined)
Tuition
Tuition for the College Readiness Program is $500.00.
Tuition is due in full at registration.