While the journey to get to college can be bumpy, reaching the destination of graduation can be just as challenging. Thousands of students drop out each year, and there are lots of reasons motivating this. For some, it’s a matter of price, for others a matter of practicality, and for others reasonability. Not everyone can afford college, or believe it’s worth it, or do well once there.
Gateway courses are important in alleviating this third effect, those who fail in the process. These courses are students’ introduction to college-level courses. These tend to be for simple subjects like math and English, and predict later success. Community college students in particular see major increases in success with the completion of gateway courses.
This is important to point out as those at community college tend to be less academically prepared. It’s through resources like effective and influential gateway courses that the planes can be leveled. Many college students attend community colleges before transferring to save money. If the courses offered aren’t effective then this can become a crippling move. This is the importance of gateway courses.
