College Readiness
Boot Camp
Note: Our flagship academic boot camp, previously called the humanities academic boot camp, is now called the college readiness boot camp. Learn more here. All references to humanities fellows and boot camps align with the college readiness boot camp.
Overview
What if you could do a practice run of college, with other enlisted service members and veterans as your classmates? Like a rehearsal before a mission, our college readiness boot camp helps you experience and prepare for all aspects of life as a student on a college campus for a week. You’ll live in a campus dorm, eat in the dining hall, be taught by university professors, and complete college-level readings and assignments, including an academic essay.
Our college readiness boot camp is designed specifically to support enlisted service members and veterans as they make decisions about their college journey. The college readiness boot camp curriculum focuses on a meaningful topic for military and veterans: American democracy. You’ll explore the concept of American democracy in a real college setting with professors and tutors from our host campuses and successful student veteran peer mentors, all while forging friendships and connections that will last a lifetime.
Course Structure
Seminars
You will participate in college-style discussions, otherwise known as seminars, led by faculty at the campus. Professors will lead you and your classmates in discussion and debate about the origins and complexities of American democracy. Each seminar will introduce you to new ideas and challenge your perspective.
Study Groups
Study groups are a way to prepare for the daily seminars by helping you make sense of the readings and practice contributing to class discussion. Study groups are led by WSP fellows—successful student veteran alumni of Warrior-Scholar Project trained to support you.
Writing Workshops & Tutoring Sessions
Writing workshops include instruction and hands-on learning and provide the opportunity to apply what you learn in study groups, seminars, and College Success sessions. Professional writing instructors help you develop your ideas into a college-level academic essay. They also provide feedback designed to help you grow as a thinker and writer.
College Success Series
Transitioning to college can bring its own unique set of challenges for enlisted veterans. Our discussion-based College Success sessions, taught by WSP fellows, are designed to address the social and academic barriers enlisted student veterans may encounter.
Sessions include:
- Mindset: Through readings, interactive discussions, and in-class activities, participants are introduced to The Warrior-Scholar Mindset, which promotes self-awareness, purpose, knowledge seeking, and resilience
- Analytical reading and note-taking: Learn to manage a college-level reading load and read and break down complex material, as well as multiple note-taking strategies and when to use them
- Attention and time management: Explore attention and time management strategies, identify opportunities to improve focus, and apply tools to manage workload and schedule
- Identity and community: Consider the veteran and student identities in a higher education setting, compare military and college culture, and examine the vital role of the community in the transition process
- Informed consumer: Learn how to compare colleges and navigate the college application process—including determining how to apply, understanding your financial need, identifying resources, and connecting college decisions to your career plans
- Hidden curriculum: Acquire the skills you need to interpret class requirements, prepare for a professor’s office hours, practice asking intentional questions, and develop a networking plan
Click here to see a sample schedule. Some content may vary depending on your campus, but the WSP experience is the same across all courses.
See where you could study
We partner with top colleges and universities to provide our unique programming.