Many Palo Alto College students believe they were not prepared for their first year of college, and the number of students enrolled in developmental classes confirms this belief.

According to Institutional Research, 2,157 students are enrolled in developmental Math, 729 in developmental English and 569 in developmental Reading this Fall. Developmental classes prepare students for college-level classes.

"I had laid-back teachers at my high school who didn’t expect much," said Sophia Semersky, a sophomore Education major. "With little initiative, we always received a grade of an A. If my high school had higher expectations, I would have been more prepared, but since they didn’t, now in college it’s really tough."

Like Semersky, James Wright, a freshman Fine Arts major, said he also thinks he was unprepared for college.

"I felt my high school was really controlling and focused more on the rules rather than education," said Wright.

Some students believe that teachers seemed to place more emphasis on judging them on the way they dressed or looked rather than how well they performed. Standardized test were also a factor.

"I would like to hear more about learning rather than teachers saying ‘Remember this for the test,’" said Wright.

"Students would be more prepared for college if high school teachers cared," said Luis Hernandez, a freshman Pharmacy ma-jor.

"Because of the teachers who cared, I actually made it to college. If it wasn’t for those teachers who offered one-on-one help, I wouldn’t know how to learn and push myself," said Hernandez.

While most students say they are not prepared for college because of low expectations and too much emphasis on rules, not learning, others like freshman Sabrina Lopez, an undecided major, said the reason she felt unprepared for college is because she had half days and slacked off a lot.

"If I would have went to class in high school, I would have felt better prepared," said Lopez.

Palo Alto College offers underprepared students the opportunity to develop college-level skills in Reading, Mathematics, Writing, Speech and Personal Development. Based upon the results of college entry exams and/or previous academic records, students are placed in the appropriate developmental courses. Developmental lab classes that enable students to succeed are also offered.

Lab classes are taken on a pass/fail basis and meet for one or two hours a week. Lab services include computer programs, videotapes, written materials and a college instructor who is available to provide tutoring.

The reading lab class, for instance, is required as part of the developmental reading course. Students work on a computerized program that covers concepts from the textbook and emphasizes vocabulary building.

"Education depends on how bad the students want an education and how many hours are put into studying," said Yvonne Richardson, instructional skills reading specialist.

First-year students should also make use of the required SDEV course. You will learn study skills, how to take notes, the importance of attendance and time management, said Richardson.

For information on free tutoring services in Math, Reading, Foreign Language, Science and Writing, visit www.alamo.edu/pac. Go to the Current Students’ tab and click on the Tutoring link.