The Limited Accessibility of College Readiness

By Nikki Crishen Evans

“Get good grades, go to college, and you’ll get a good job” my mom preached. She understood these steps to be the key to success. Sounds simple enough, right? Unfortunately, there is so much information that low income, first generation students do not know nor have access to when navigating higher education and beyond. It is not widely advertised to join college readiness programs, and if they are advertised, the prices of them are inaccessible. Programs like Summer Springboard provide an enriching experience for high school students but the two-week experience costs $3000 to $5000. This program is rich in content and in networks it provides, but only families who have access to a disposable $3000 or more can afford this resource. Other programs give a leg up to applicants who are already legacy students, which only reinforces the polarization between first generation, low income prospective college students and legacy, high income college students. 

Colleges, understandably, value the experiences kids have had prior to applying– it shows they can succeed in academically and socially rigorous spaces. However, can we say this system is functional or fair when highly qualified kids are limited in their access to the experiences that colleges value? The demands for more accessible college readiness, life readiness, and tutoring. programs are getting greater and greater.

This divide has been highlighted for me in recent months as I am preparing my 9th grade sister for her academic and collegiate success—because now I know it's never too early! Unfortunately, a lot of the programs I’ve come across, and that she would enjoy, are financially inaccessible, or outside the realm of our family’s social and financial capital.