Turning Seniors into Freshmen

To help graduates succeed in college, a high school redesigned its senior year as a bridge to postsecondary education.

A few months before they would begin separate paths in college, six students sat in a classroom with their adviser, quietly talking about the ways in which they still were not ready for higher education. As seniors at University Park Campus School, a 234-student grade 7–12 school in Worcester, Massachusetts, they were poised to enter college and had already achieved far beyond what is typical at urban schools serving low-income populations. But challenges remained.

"I like to push things off until the last minute," said Alexis McCullough. "I'll just say I don't feel like doing it now and that I'll do it tomorrow. I'm not going to lie—I had two essays for Mr. St. Louis that I woke up at 4:00 in the morning to do. I got a B on both essays, which is OK, but if I had really put in the time I could have gotten a B+ or an A."