Ilianys Robles
One of this year’s participants, Ilianys Robles, chose to attend Bay Path and has just started her fall semester. Ilianys shared some of her experiences via a Q & A.
Q: Why did you apply to the College Readiness Bootcamp?
A: College was always something I knew I wanted to do, but I was stressing out about everything. How do you pay for college? What are the classes like? When I heard about the Bootcamp, I thought it would be a great chance to get a sense of the campus and interact with the staff and students.
Q: How was the application process?
A: Easy. Bay Path left a flyer in my high school with a QR code. I scanned it and filled out the online application. Then I met with them to discuss my expectations. They sent waivers via email, which I signed and returned.
Q: Describe a typical day and what you learned during the program.
A: They would pick us up at 7 AM and return after 5 PM. We would have breakfast and then choose a topic and chat. The conversations were to help us warm up since it was early. Next, we would do hands-on learning, and that varied from day to day. We had math, thinking and writing, and college foundation classes. They showed us how students pick classes, and we did exercises to learn time management. We had meetings with financial aid, which were very helpful and something I was worried about before joining this program. We had different guest speakers in the last hour – people who worked there or had other career experiences.
Something I didn't expect to learn was that you could schedule a tutor to help you with a class, and it is free because it's covered in the tuition price. I also learned that you can rent study rooms in the library.
Q: How did you feel about the prospect of attending college now?
A: I'm really excited. I'm nervous, but it's a normal feeling. I'm not worried about things like classes because I got a good sense of that during the Bootcamp. I'm not worried about anything financially. I'm not worrying about anything really. I'm just excited to start college and focus on doing well this semester and the next four years.
I would recommend this program. I saved every paper they gave me because I know I'm going to use it eventually. They provide you with everything you need, so you're not lost.
