Overview Schedule of Services [Back to JEEP]

College Preparation PROGRAM OVERVIEW Philosophy The philosophy of the Jobs and Education Empowerment Project (J.E.E.P) is to endow our students with the basic knowledge and analytical skills that are necessary to be successful in college or in the workplace. While current political and social trends emphasize placing people in jobs, we firmly believe that adults cannot perform effectively unless they possess the core educational building blocks that can help them become productive workers and articulate college students. The College Preparation Program seeks to achieve a balance between the immediate goal of helping our students enroll in a higher education course of study and the more long-term goal of producing students who are critical thinkers and articulate speakers and writers. Community Impact’s J.E.E.P. has been running a College Preparation Program successfully since 1987. Range of Services The Program offers three types of services, one-to-one college preparation assistance, college preparation workshops, and a college preparation class. As a result, we are able to offer valuable learning services to a wide range of applicants with different schedules. Curriculum A wide range of materials are used in each of the services on offer. For the college preparation class a set curriculum addresses the following key areas: What the prospective college student needs to know about being a college or university student. Appropriate attitudes and responses to college life and its demands. Oral and written self-presentations. Doing research and presenting the results. Expressing and defending an opinion. Responding to the opinions of others. There is no set curriculum for the one-to-one college preparation service as each client has a different need or interest. Instead, Program Specialists build a curriculum with the client, based upon specific needs, questions, and interests that the client raises during their intake session. College preparation workshops offer clients information on up-to-date trends and practices within higher education. Workshops are facilitated by Program Specialists, Coordinators, and include guest speakers from university campuses around the country.  Staff J.E.E.P’s College Preparation Program is run and organized in large part by part-time work-study students and volunteers from Columbia University. These students form a team of “Program Specialists” who oversee the day-to-day operations of the program. ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS Age To be eligible for the College Preparatory Program, candidates must be nineteen years of age and up. Candidates who are eighteen years old may also apply, but will have to successfully pass an additional interview process before being accepted into the program. United States citizenship is not a requirement. Tests There are no entrance or post-test examinations for the College Preparatory Program. However, for some of the services priority will sometimes be given to those students who have demonstrated, academically, a readiness for higher education studies.    Commitment The College Preparatory Program’s services require a strong commitment from the student. Attendance, be it for a workshop, class, or one-to-one meeting, is given a very high priority and students who fail to meet appointments will be taken out of the program. Before signing up for a service, therefore, students must make sure that they can meet these requirements of their attendance. Lastly, but not least, candidates must demonstrate a strong commitment and desire to learn the material being taught. This requires completing homework assignments on time when set, obtaining copies of all text-books assigned, and participating in a positive and conscientious manner in class discussions, workshops, and one-to-one meetings. Books There are no books required for the college preparatory workshops or the one-to-one assistance. However, students who sign up for the college preparatory class will need a full-size English dictionary. OFFICE HOURS AND CONTACT INFORMATION The Community Impact office is open Monday – Thursday between the hours of 9am – 8:30pm, Friday 9am – 5pm. Community Impact houses twenty-seven different programs. As a result, make sure that you state your interest in the College Preparatory Programs when speaking with a CI representative. Applicants may sign-up or receive information about the College Preparatory Program via phone or by visiting the central office at the address listed below. Personnel will not always be available during hours to assist you. However, you may always leave a message and your request will be answered in a timely fashion. Community Impact Columbia University 105 Earl Hall, MC2010 New York, NY 10027 Phone (212) 854-1492 Fax (212) 854-5951

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