by Ardhys De Leon, staff reporter

Approaching the John Jay building, anxiety overwhelmed me, wondering what my first college class would teach me. In the criminal justice classroom, I was surprised to see how interesting the material was and how kind everyone was, including the professor. By the end of class, the building that I entered jittery, I exited smiling confidently because I took the first step toward my future.

 Getting into this program is quite easy. The College Now program allows High School students to apply for any college classes at any CUNY for the completion of up to three credits per class. Each CUNY has their own application requirements but they generally consist of a regents score on a certain subject, class GPA or a PSAT score.

“It provides an insight into what college is like and our research has shown that it’s a motivator for High School students as they enter college,” Deputy director of College Now, Jeanette Kim said.

This program is free, allows students to earn college credits, and prepares them for the transition from High School to College. It is also an alternate to the High School AP classes since it is an AP exam that solely determines if the three credits will be given. While for the College Now program, students receive the credits as long as they get a C or higher in the class.

“[This program] allowed me to experience college life, and its just an easy way for hard-working high school students to earn college credits for free,” Forest Hills High School  senior Francis Povis said.

Because of this program, planning a college career is possible while attending high school as early as junior year. The opportunity to take different classes in fields of interest helps students consider what to major in.

    After taking several classes, it is clear that Forensic Psychology is a career I would like to pursue. Planning to take all College Now classes that are core requirements and major requirements until graduation is a method to get prepared for the study of this profession. Thanks to this program, the cost for college will be lower, as I will be entering my freshman year with already-earned credits.

“I did two programs, criminal justice and psychology. Criminal justice was very fun and informative as an introduction to the field and made me more interested. Psychology has also helped me explore another possible future plan for college,”  Laguardia High School for Arts  junior Xian Eley said.