Florida colleges are part of a national movement to reinvent how students get into college, moving away from confusing paperwork and toward a system which proactively welcomes them.

A grant initiative from Lumina Foundation will provide more than $3.5 million to help states and institutions simplify the journey from high school to college.

Madeline Pumariega, president of Miami Dade College, said her school has already cut application times dramatically by rethinking what students actually need to prove.

"Our application process was like 45 minutes long, like 30 to 45 minutes long," Pumariega explained. "We've created the questions where a student can finish applying within seven to 10 minutes."

Pumariega noted the old application was essentially a digitized paper form of the same challenging questions. She added Miami Dade is working to redesign the process to be more intuitive for students, especially those who are first in their families to attend college.

Melanie Heath, strategy director of access for Lumina Foundation, believes the traditional application process creates unnecessary pressure.

"I think that's a hugely problematic piece of how we in higher ed have designed this college-going journey," Heath contended. "Not only does it impact how students feel about college through all of this uncertainty, I think it also impacts how they feel about their future and what's possible for them."

Heath pointed out 28 states are now putting admissions redesigns into practice, reaching nearly 70% of high school students. She stressed the goal is to shift the question from "Should I go to college?" to "Which college should I go to?"

Pumariega underscored many students arrive on campus unsure of the basic language of higher education, which can make them feel like they do not belong.

"Sometimes they're not even sure when we ask them, an Associate's (degree)? So more like, what do you want to do?" Pumariega emphasized. "Because they might want to go into cybersecurity and don't know that there's a college credit certificate. Making that admissions process more intuitive versus more compliant."

She added simplifying admissions means asking students what they want to pursue – whether nursing, cybersecurity, or a transfer to a university – rather than overwhelming them with other questions. She believes the shift helps students imagine themselves earning a degree.

Support for this reporting was provided by Lumina Foundation.

Source: Public News Service