What Did Students Say?

How has Are You Ready for College helped you?

Are You Ready for College has helped me better build my writing skills. I love that they went through each step of how to write essays including a strong thesis, in-depth body paragraphs and a well structured conclusion. It helped me learned how to better implement sources of information as evidence in my essays to give stronger viewpoints. Overall, Are You Ready for College has helped me create stronger and better structured essays. - Byron Morris

This program helped me understand how to cite and structure my essay better. Before, I wasn't too sure on how to write and structure essays, but then I got help with this program. This program helped me understand essay structures better and helped me cite my work. Overall, I got my doubts cleared up with this program over writing. - Nihal Yeruva

I enjoyed the Are You Ready for College course! It was immensely helpful, especially having the essay writing process broken down and being able to refer back to it to strengthen my writing. - Percy Forrestier

I am a freshman at the University of North Texas. The transition between college and high school was hard because I didn't know where to start ,where to seek help to study, organize myself, and set priorities. Are you ready for college? It has helped me get my priorities straight and has taught me where to research my academic articles for essays and projects. It has helped me organize my time better, which will help with my academic journey, career, and life. I am very grateful. Are you ready for college? - Nelly Hofmann Charles

This program has helped me with paying attention to the course syllabus that professors provide. I was able to become aware of what was due and what requirements I needed to meet instead of asking my professors. I was also able to improve writing formal emails to professors and admin. I am able to use the template that was provided in the lessons. My skills as a writer have improved as well. At first I had trouble meeting the required word count and providing the correct amount of paragraphs in my essays. I was able to learn how to organize and structure my essays so that I am able to meet the criteria. The lesson that stuck out to me was maintaining a balanced lifestyle. That is one I still continue to struggle with. However, I am seeing improvement from putting time aside to exercise or spend time with friends and family. Despite being at the end of my second year of college I was still able to learn important skills from this program that I can use in my last two years of school. - Thabani Ndhlukula

Completing the "Are You Ready For College'' program through Ruby True learning was beneficial to my learning and academic experience this semester. Finishing my first year this Spring, I had little to no experience navigating college courses and curriculum, such as the tools available to me as a student. Through participating in this program I learned about numerous resources provided by the University, such as EBSCO, JSTOR, and Proquest. I also received additional effective instruction on how to organize and arrange the structure of technical assignments such as annotated bibliographies, outlines, and MLA. Similarly, I learned the importance of verifying sources while writing a research paper or essay, which can be done through peer- reviewed articles and academic journals. "Are You Ready For College'' also provided multiple sections regarding guidance on balancing school, work, and life, which is a challenge I have had this semester, but I have continued to improve. Furthermore, it offered tips on developing positive habits surrounding studying, procrastination, and note taking. Overall, I believe that the "Are You Ready For College'' by Ruby Tree learning was a helpful tool and beneficial program to my college experience this semester. - Ava Mero

This course has helped me enhance my academic and writing skills. The course has helped me learn helpful skills that I can use throughout my life. Some of these skills include how to conduct meaningful research that is from credible sources. It has also taught me to research and write better research papers. - Haseeb Rehman

Are You Ready for College Research includes a variety of sections that discusses everything from self motivation, to breaking down tasks into manageable chunks, to discussing the various components of an academic essay. Not only are all of the sections of Are You Ready For College applicable to the English course I have taken this semester, but a few of the sections can be particularly helpful when working through units of the class. These sections include Are You Ready For College's Unit 5: "Research", Unit 6: "Conducting Research", Unit 7: "Research-Based Writing", and Unit 8: "MLA 9." These sections work closely with major units of my English class, providing further assistance and enrichment that works with the instruction provided by my professor. It is apparent that Are You Ready For College Research is designed to work with the prominent concepts that a professor of this type of English course is teaching, building off of the material the professor has already covered in class. I find this to be extremely beneficial, as Are You Ready For College serves as another source to help students succeed in each unit of their English course. Undoubtedly, plenty of students will find Are You Ready For College beneficial, potentially equipping them with knowledge that perhaps their professor simply did not have adequate time to provide. I believe it is always good to have more than one place to receive academic resources, and Are You Ready for College serves as just that. - Angela Sasic

My experience for the "Are You ready for College?" certification uplifting and gave me a good sense of what organization will look like when completing assignments. It also refreshed my mind on the things that I have previously learned in high school, which in return reinforced the idea of structure. I also found the work life balance section to be very helpful, as I sometimes have a hard time finding individual time for both. - Caroline Marlowe

I learned numerous techniques from the Are You Ready for Research lab. Arrive to class prepared by reviewing the material beforehand, being an active listener, and writing, reviewing, and organizing notes. Learn a variety of annotation techniques. Underline or highlight meaningful sentences or phrases to quickly identify critical points. Create a schedule and complete tasks. Set specific and achievable goals, breaking down larger tasks into smaller ones. Set a timeline to complete tasks with smaller ones. Manage time effectively without procrastination. I learned to take care of my physical and mental well-being. - Alysha Anish

It has helped me as a writer to write better essays by breaking down into parts what a good essay should be like. - Olushola Shonoiki

Are You Ready for College serves as a helpful road map for figuring out the complicated world of higher education. It has played a significant role in molding my conception of what it takes to be successful in college. It has been a ray of sunshine, explaining everything from the application process to providing advice on time management and study strategies. Additionally, it's helped me prepare for what's ahead by giving me a preview of what college life is like. All things considered, it has been a priceless tool for me as I pursue academic greatness! - Danait Habtom

The lab has been a great help to me as a writer and scholar. It gave me structure and guidance to explore topics and improve my writing skills. I also learned different research methods and approaches, broadening my understanding and problem-solving abilities. Overall, the lab has been crucial in my growth, providing resources, support, and opportunities for meaningful contributions to academia. - Disha Patel

It's helped me be more organized with my college life, and it's given me very helpful tips on being successful day-to-day. Plan, plan, plan! Use a calendar, and writing things down helps you remember. It's helped me add a better structure to my daily college life. One of the most helpful tools I've learned from it was using a calendar to plan. Planning my weekly schedule helps me remember, and I also divide up my huge loads of work into each day so that it doesn't seem too stressful. Dividing and conquering if you will. - Colby Owens

The "Are you ready for college" resource helped me find new ways to study without losing focus as well as what is to expect during the college experience. Not to mention explicit insight on how to communicate with education authorities. - Melissa Lazo

As it has been a couple of years since I graduate high school (2015) I found "Are You Ready for College" to be very helpful. It helped me prepare for the mental challenges that I would face throughout the semester and throughout my college experience. It also refreshed my memories of high school and all of the things they thought us in preparing for college. All in all it was a tremendous resource that not only helps non-traditional students but students everywhere. - Paul George

Writing ideas or finding the "right words' has never been a problem. Structuring and formatting into the correct style of essays and how to create a work cited format was challenging. Are You Ready for College helped me in most of these aspects. Including how I can improve comprehension before beginning a text. The program was very helpful and thorough with their information. It has been able to help me discern to be a better writer. - Shannon Mauricio

Are You Ready for College has taught me a lot, even in my second year of school. I learned more about writing essays, which was very beneficial for the classes I'm taking. I would say the greatest help has been with the citations. Citations are something I often struggled with before, and this course was very helpful with that. - Kirsten Simmons White

I have used this for my English class. Honestly, this program has set me up for success. It has helped me tremendously when I felt I was struggling with my essay. I wish my other English before this one had used this program. It was very helpful. - Mariah Sears

I have always struggled with English, but I was able to get helpful tips from my professor and Are You Ready for College? I hope that with the knowledge I have gained from this I will be able to show improvement in this subject. - Kobichukwudi Olloh

Are You Ready for College has helped me by providing valuable insights and information on various aspects of college readiness. From academic preparation to social and emotional readiness, the resources available through this program offered guidance and support for students like me transitioning to higher education. Additionally, they often provide tips on time management, study skills, and navigating campus life, which can be beneficial for students adjusting to the demands of college - especially if they are student athletes. Overall, Are You Ready for College played an important role in helping me feel more prepared and confident as I started my college journey. - Keanthony Robinson

Are You Ready for College course provided me with lots of information that I did not know I needed and set me up for success. I did it as a lab assignment for my English class, and it broke down the steps of the writing process and gave me specific examples and tools to make my writing stronger. Not only did it help me with writing, but the lab also included study and time management tools that have helped me in my college classes. This online lab helped make my writing stronger and gave me study strategies that have benefited me in all my classes. - Sydney Williams

Are You Ready for College has helped me by going in depth on different topics that I sometimes didn't understand clearly. For example, I had never written an annotated bibliography. I somewhat understood the topic, but there were many specific details that needed to be followed. The Are You Ready for College Research program helped because it broke everything down simply. Not only did it help with a specific topic but also with how to develop good habits for college overall. - Grace Serrano-Lopez

Are You Ready for College has helped me better understand my class material and beyond! Before taking it, there were lots of things that I had questions about or didn’t know just because we had never really talked about it in my other classes, but my instructors expected me to know it. But now I know and can better my studying and writing in the future because of it. - Madison Meyer

Are You Ready for College helped me with how to study, how to have better comprehension, how to take better notes. It taught me how to improve my notetaking and how to read properly textbooks, etc. - Karthik Menon

It started with an introduction to the writing program by my professor in my first-year writing class as a resource for us to refer to and refresh our skills. The Are You Ready for College program has benefited me during the rest of the fall semester and helped me progress through my writing process. In my opinion, the program should continue to be implemented into any English course for upcoming college students because as the semester continued the lessons continued to motivate me and inspire my writing. It’s an issue that high school and returning college students have lost the skill of writing for various reasons. The resources provided by this program helped me re-learn the necessary fundamentals of writing to polish my craft. The program helped me structure my essays and gave me confidence. I'm grateful to have been introduced to this program and to have it as a tool to improve my writing. - Melanie Gomez

It helped me a lot with many things, mainly organization and learning how to avoid procrastination. - Yasir Azmat

The Are You Ready for College Research course has helped me immensely by shaping me into a better writer and scholar. Prior to taking it, I would start projects without a clear strategy, and the majority of the sources I had were not relevant to the projects. This has caused me to feel overwhelmed numerous times. After completing the course, I learned how to narrow my focus, develop a clear thesis, and find credible sources supporting my ideas. It focused on questioning and analyzing sources instead of just summarizing them. As a result, I feel much more confident in my ability to conduct and evaluate information for research, effectively improving my writing process. I was lucky to have this. - April Keo

The Are You Ready for College program has helped me organize my thoughts more easily in my notes to complete assignments for all my classes. For my English class, toward the last few weeks of the research essay, these note-taking skills helped me structure my essay's topic better in order for the change in topic to flow better. - Samia Rahman

When I first started Are You Ready for College, I had lots of trouble with fully knowing how to convey my thoughts effectively, and I feel like this program really walked me through each step that goes into any type of writing. It really helped me create a plan to push my ideas further. - Laura Mendez

Are You Ready for College Research was pivotal in helping me learn more about writing my Rogerian Research Proposal for my first-year writing course. My professor uploaded many videos and provided examples and great modules, but sometimes when I felt unsure about something, I could easily turn to the course to help me navigate the EBSCO and GALE or watch one of the videos to gain clarity when I was up late alone and needed reassurance on a method or way of presenting something. 

In regards to discipline in studying and exploring what I want to achieve, steps on how to obtain it were made clear, helping me to name achievable goals and methods and ideas to help map out my vision. The Are You Ready For College course was helpful and encouraging. Learning and applying myself is a learning curve in itself, and the professors sharing their stories as well as the students made it easy to be reminded I can gain a flow in my work-life balance. - Elena Solomon

The Are You Ready for College Research course has been beneficial to me and has helped me grow as a writer by guiding me step-by-step through what success looks like as a writer and what unsuccessful looks like as well as showing me the way correct MLA formats are to be written in. Overall, it really helped me understand the knowledge of all the skills and tips to use to become successful. - Zoie Mccarty

The Are You Ready for College Research course has been beneficial in several ways. It has enhanced my research skills by teaching me how to effectively locate, evaluate, and synthesize academic sources. I have learned to formulate research questions and develop a structured approach to writing, which has improved my clarity and coherence. Additionally, it has fostered critical thinking, enabling me to analyze arguments and evidence more rigorously. Overall, I have grown as a writer by becoming more confident in my ability to conduct research and articulate my findings effectively. - Tyra Harris

Are You Ready for College has shaped my reading and thinking skills. It has taught me how to study and how to prepare for an exam. It also helped with some of my writing, and I am so glad i went through it. - Esther Asunloye

Are You Ready for College Research helped me by providing me with the necessary tools and resources I needed to do well in my English class. I really enjoyed how each section of this program gives so much detail about how to tackle each part of an essay as well as the Bibliography. I would definitely recommend this to friends and family who are going to be attending college in the near future. - Juan Rangel

This program offered me a step by step introduction and walkthrough to what to expect in the world of college and the tips and tricks to it. It also gives a great perspective as to how to succeed and be the best student you can be. I can see how this program can be priceless to a young student with limited life exposure, or a returning student like me. - Caleb Raper

Are You Ready for College laid out easy steps on how to be successful in college. I enjoyed how each topic went deep into depth quickly. I believe this helped me get clear about everything from how to write writing emails to how to write essays. I also feel like I have a much better idea of how to continue productivity even when I get stressed. - Avery Wilkinson

Taking the Are You Ready for College has truly helped me grow as both a writer and a scholar. Through its discussions and activities, I’ve learned to think more critically about my writing and approach it with greater confidence. I learned how to express myself clearly and effectively.

One of the biggest benefits was the focus on learning how to share my ideas with my peers. Sharing my ideas and hearing feedback from their perspective opened my eyes to different ways of approaching how I communicate. It also helped me see areas in my own writing that needed improvement, like making my arguments more clear or organizing my ideas better. This back-and-forth exchange made me more comfortable with revising and refining my work, something I used to struggle with. I know it has made me better for the discussions I will have in all of my classes with students and teachers.

The course also taught me the value of planning and revising. I used to see writing as a one-and-done process, but now I understand how important it is to take the time to draft, get feedback, and make improvements. Breaking the process into steps not only made my writing stronger but also made it feel less overwhelming. This helped me not only in my writing but also in how I approach research and academic work overall.

Looking back, I can say the lab has been a game-changer for me. It didn’t just teach me how to write better—it gave me the tools to think more critically and communicate more effectively. I feel more confident tackling future writing projects and even everyday challenges that require clear and thoughtful expression. - Adam Miled

Are You Ready for College has helped me tremendously during this course. Having an additional sort of information model beside the class curriculum was very helpful. Sometimes in order to fully grasp new material we need to see it from different perspectives, and Are You Ready for College was just that. My favorite part about Are you Ready for College was the in depth descriptions.

As a Sophomore now in college sometimes I still feel lost or like I am not ready for college. Are You Ready for College has helped support me in taking college classes on having extra support to help me through. I truly feel like I have grown as a writer, and I feel ready to take on my next college classes with confidence. - Suzanne Aldhhik