GETTING READY FOR COLLEGE: READINESS AND PREPAREDNESS OF GRADE 12 GENERAL ACADEMIC STRAND

Abstract

The Senior High School program was added to the basic education curriculum, incorporating various tracks and strands designed to align with students' skills, interests, and intended college degrees. However, some undecided students choose the General Academic Strand (GAS) due to uncertainty about their future careers. GAS students expect the current curriculum to provide sufficient information and experiences to help them prepare for higher education.  This study focuses on analyzing the level of readiness and preparedness of GAS students. It aims to explore and examine the factors influencing Grade 12 General Academic Strand students in choosing their college degree and their readiness to enter higher education. The factors will be measured using a quantitative approach and a descriptive method to assess and describe their relationship to the decision-making process of Grade 12 General Academic Strand students. This quantitative research study utilizes closed-ended questions and Likert scales as instruments for data collection. In the profile of the respondents, the respondents are mostly 17–19 years old, and the majority of the respondents are female (53.3%). All Grade 12 students agreed that they are prepared for higher education, with a composite mean of 3.06. The struggles faced by GAS students are difficulties in developing ideas and a lack of a desired major in a specialized subject, with a composite mean of 2.93. In choosing a course, most respondents agreed that they are fully decided to choose a college course. The 2.94 composite mean which means they are ready on entering college. In summary, students are ready for higher education. The study revealed that preparedness significantly impacts their readiness for college. While respondents can choose courses that align with their interests, many still face challenges in decision-making, which affects their performance and self-perception. Despite their certainty about attending college, they often struggle to decide which university to attend.