As I sit down to write this short piece, the headlines are filled with stories about a heat wave and crowded tourist destinations. Summer is in full swing and although some students are taking classes at Lincoln Land Community College, many future college students are enjoying the summer before they head off to college for the first time this fall.

College continues to be an excellent opportunity for students to gain knowledge, skills and habits that can help them be successful in achieving their goals. Whether a student has just completed high school or is starting college after a period of being away from school, being prepared for success at the college level is important. Most colleges offer students some kind of orientation and many services to help them be successful. The benefits of taking advantage of these can be great.

Last summer, LLCC began a new service for district residents. Many students headed to college last fall had spent time outside of the classroom the previous year because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Because of this, the college made the decision to offer any students who were planning on attending college for the first time in the fall an opportunity to get a head start toward success in face-to-face learning environments. This new program was called Summer Boost and the intention was to boost students’ chances of success when attending college in-person for the first time.

During the first year of the program, courses were offered to get students ready for math and English. These are two important general education courses that are required by almost every college in the nation. Many new students end up taking these courses in their first year of college. More than 30 students enrolled in the first year of Summer Boost and around half of them ended up taking math or English at LLCC in the fall or spring semester.

For summer 2022, LLCC is happy to announce that it will offer Summer Boost once again. This year, in addition to math and English, students will be able to choose a course in College Success Skills. This new course offering will teach everything from basic skills like time management, to skills like test taking, note taking and reading which can help students be successful in many courses.

This year’s Summer Boost will run from July 18 through Aug. 4. Classes meet four days for each of the three weeks, Monday through Thursday. English Boost will be offered from 10 a.m. to noon. College Success Skills will be from 1-2 p.m. Math Boost will be from 2-4 p.m. Students who take a combination of morning classes and afternoon classes will be able to have lunch at Quiznos in the LLCC Student Union. Summer Boost is offered to all residents of the district free of charge and includes the courses, all materials, a T-shirt and lunch for those attending all day. Anyone interested in enrolling in Summer Boost for 2022 can get more information at www.llcc.edu/boost.

Habits and skills for success are most effective when they are practiced and adopted over time. Summer Boost allows students to begin to develop good skills and habits over the course of three weeks while also brushing up on some background knowledge in English, math or basic study skills. At LLCC, we look forward to helping our district residents get ready for college, regardless of where they go in the fall.