A 2016 partnership, Start Now, has been created between Oswego State and Jefferson Community College to help students make the academic and personal transition from high school to college easier.

The goal of the program is for high school students from New York City to begin at a Start Now partnered community college, like JCC. After a year or two, depending on whether or not the student decides to earn their associate degree and if they are academically sound, they then  would transfer to Oswego State for their bachelor’s degree.

“Start Now was created to help expand access to higher education and to increase completion rates,” said Kristi Eck, chief of staff in the office of the president at Oswego State.

Having both an associate degree and bachelor’s degree can elevate a student’s prospect of getting a job over the other possible candidates said Sandra Montalvo, an admissions counselor and Oswego State’s coordinator of Start Now.

Other students may take a few years off before transferring to a four-year school, and with an associate degree they can still look for job opportunities.

The application process first includes high school students applying to Oswego State, but if they are not admissible for direct entry, they may be eligible for Start Now and can apply to JCC, Montalvo said.

During their time in the Start Now program, students are given tools to succeed, such as support from a Start Now coordinator and outlets like meetings and social events to interact with their fellow peers. Events are held both at JCC and Oswego State.

“These events are designed to help introduce the Start Now students to each other, help them form friendships and bonds with each other and to familiarize them with SUNY Oswego prior to transferring to SUNY Oswego so they are ready to succeed in their courses when they enroll at SUNY Oswego,” Eck said.

Cohorts are created for the students get to know one another and make the process of transitioning to Oswego State easier.

“They get to build that relationship with one another, which is really helpful for when they are transferring. They’re not going into it alone,” Montalvo said.

Start Now began in the fall of 2016 with a goal to have 25 students enrolled at JCC for the first cohort, but they passed this number by having 26 students, Eck said. Four of those students have already transferred to Oswego State this semester.

This fall, Start Now has surpassed their goal of having 30 students enrolled in their second cohort for a total of 54.

“Start Now has been very successful,” Eck said.

Due to this success, the program is expanding to Onondaga Community College next fall, and a retention specialist will be added at JCC. Oswego State received $100,500 from the SUNY Improvement Fund for the expansion, Eck said.

“The Start Now students begin at a community college to gain the academic readiness needed to succeed at SUNY Oswego,” Eck said.

Kylik Williams, a sophomore, is one of the four students who has transferred from JCC to Oswego State so far through the program this fall.

Williams said that attending a community college gave him an introduction to what is expected of a student at a university, but at the same time, the course load is not as demanding as it may be in a class at a four-year school.

Williams has also learned balance, which he said probably would not have happened if he started out at Oswego State.

“It’s nothing but a lovely introduction to a university,” Williams said of Start Now. “You ease your way there.”

Coming from New York City, Williams was skeptical of moving to a rural area, but he described JCC as his “retirement home,” where life is not as crazy as the city. The small environment was comforting, and he viewed the people on campus as his family.

“These students often find they really benefit from starting at a smaller environment where there are small class sizes and a lot of personalized attention from faculty and staff,” said Sandra Spadoni, dean of enrollment at JCC.

The program was also designated for students in New York City because many come to the area for schooling, Montalvo said.

“The intention is specifically to target New York City for this program because there is so much unmet demand for higher education in New York City,” Spadoni said.

Photo: Rachel Futterman | The Oswegonian