Letter: Programs a boon to many students

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Tuesday, March 8, 2005 | 9:09 a.m.

In her March 2 letter, Rosemary Ricketts argued that if economically disadvantaged parents would just devote more time to their children we could cut college preparation programs. Her argument, however, misses the point of why GEAR UP and TRIO were developed.

These two programs are not for academic enrichment per se; instead, they guide students who lack a family member who has a degree through the complicated process of getting into and then staying in college. Counselors help high school students select appropriate classes and navigate the college application process. They then steer students through the myriad procedures that keep them in college.

I was the first in my family to go to college and I sure wish these programs had been available for me. Now, as a college instructor, I direct all my first-generation students to the TRIO program to make sure they avoid the pitfalls I stumbled into.

SONDRA COSGROVE