More high school graduates are coming to college without the basic skills they need, according to an Indiana University study. Each year, more college students are signing up for remedial classes - basic-skills courses designed to help prepare students to succeed at the level required by most college classes. But Ball State University, like many other Indiana universities, doesn't offer many remedial courses, freshman advisor Reed Siebenthal said."The administration would say that's not our function," Siebenthal said. "There are other ways for students to catch up in those areas."The major areas students need help in are math and writing, he said, and those students can utilize on-campus resources to help them with that basic knowledge. Sometimes students don't know what to expect out of a class and have to try again."This past spring was my third time taking history 150 and it was a core class," junior Brent Freyberger said. "I finally passed it, but I spent three semesters doing so. I just wasn't prepared for how much studying it was going to take."According to the IU study, more students are attending college, but high schools aren't preparing them for the demands of obtaining a college education. Some colleges are offering more remedial courses to help these students, but Ball State isn't, Siebenthal said.The university does, however, offer other options. Siebenthal said students can turn to the Learning Center.The Learning Center offers tutoring in any core curriculum class, as well as many other courses."There's plenty of help there if the person is coming in and knows they're going to need it," he said.The Learning Center Writing Desk offers assistance in basic writing skills, and students can work with writing tutors to address their specific problems.For students who need more help than tutoring can provide, Siebenthal suggested looking to Ivy Tech courses."If a student is denied enrollment to Ball State, they will usually go to Ivy Tech to receive the basic preparations that is needed for our university," Siebenthal said.
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