College Now
Library Building, Room 221
Phone: 718-631-6605
Email: MAMeyer@qcc.cuny.edu
College Now Website
Mary Anne Meyer, Director
Alexa Vlachos, Assistant Director
College Now is an educational program that offers NYCPS high school juniors and seniors the opportunity to take CUNY college courses at Queensborough Community College. It enables these students to develop academic momentum toward a college degree, envision options for their future, make informed choices about college, and learn how their education can lead to rewarding careers.
Based on their Regents, SAT exam scores, or other benchmarks, students will be informed of their eligibility for various College Now courses by their high school. The program serves students of all academic levels. Starting in their junior year, eligible students may enroll in college credit courses. Classes are offered at their high schools before and after the school day and at the college campus on Saturdays. These courses are offered tuition free to students.
Students taking College Now courses are eligible to receive ID cards and use campus facilities. Each semester students participate in orientations with visits to the Holocaust Center, Art Gallery exhibitions, library information literacy sessions, and theatre productions. Students are also invited to attend conferences and symposiums offered by the various academic departments at QCC. All classes taken through the College Now program will be documented on an official transcript on file at Queensborough Community College and the City University of New York.
Additionally, the College Now Program administers the College Now STEM Academy at QCC. During the spring semester, eligible students interested in science are given an opportunity to take PH-450 Physics Research, followed by PH-900, a one credit research experience, during the summer. Students propose the research that they would like to explore and discuss projects under the guidance of a mentor. Students are given a stipend for doing the research and completing the project over the summer. Students present projects at various conferences including at the American Museum of Natural History’s Science Consortium.
As of fall, 2022, College Now is now part of a new NYCPS initiative called Future Ready. This is a pathway to employment program whereby, students enter a variety of CTE Programs where they are matched with both an industry and a post-secondary institution. Future Ready at QCC works with Cyber Security, Healthcare, Education, Data Analysis, and Software Development Pathways. College Now provides two courses for college credit in each pathway.
High School Intervention
The College Now program at Queensborough also offers courses for local high school students who are not yet proficient in English and/or math. These courses give students the opportunity to avoid remedial coursework in college and develop their academic skills. By completing these courses, students can qualify to enroll in college credit courses. Additionally, English Language Learners can enroll in an English Language Arts (ELA) developmental course and eventually progress to college credit coursework. Students who are not proficient in math are offered co-requisite math courses to gain proficiency before matriculating to college.