I.
Introduction
Students who are transitioning from high school to college could feel uncertain and
confused about how well-prepared they are academically (Boden, 2011). According to Conley
(2007), knowledge of the material, applying the material, and cognitive techniques are all
components of being prepared for college. These factors are interrelated and it is for students
to surmount these hurdles of college life. In most of the cases, lack of preparedness led to
withdrawal or dropping out from college. It’s really hard to adjust in college once you are not
ready upon entering, so once you are still in senior high school, you must have plans, you must
prepare before you are going to enter college life. Students who are more prepared for college
have a higher chance of succeeding. Higher education institutions are increasingly focusing on
retention because it is less expensive than recruiting new students. Administrators and teachers
want to ensure that government funding levels and donor support are maintained, if not
increased, while students want to graduate and land a good career (Foss, Foss, & Paynton, 2014).
College preparatory programs that ease the transition from high school to college and enhance
study skills are crucial for fostering prospects for success in college. (Hagedorn & Tierney,
2002). Higher education is a senior high school departure route. A student must be college-ready in
order to enroll in college because doing so indicates that they are prepared to succeed in a higher
education degree or program. The level of preparation a student needs to enroll in and succeed—without
remediation—in a credit-bearing general education course at a postsecondary school that offers a
bachelor degree or transfer to a baccalaureate program is operationally referred to as college readiness
(Conley 2007). The capacity of recent high school graduates to enroll in college and succeed in
foundational courses without the need for remediation is referred to as "college readiness." It
emphasizes the knowledge and abilities necessary to successfully pursue a college education (Baber,
Zamani-Gallaher, Stevenson, & Porter, 2019).
The global standard to pre-college education covers a period of at least 12 years of basic
education. Six years is devoted for the elementary school and another six years is devoted for the
Secondary School or commonly known as high school. This twelve-year period does not include
the preparatory school also known as kinder school before being admitted to the elementary
school. However, before 2013, there were three countries in the world that only have ten-year
period of basic education, elementary and high school combined, before being admitted to
college. These countries were Angola, Djibouti and the
Philippines (CHED K to 12 Transition Program, ND). The Philippines was the only Asian country
that has a ten-year pre-college education (Official Gazette, 2012). This prompted the Philippine
government to review and overhaul its basic education system (ibid).