Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Briton Path?

Briton Path is a program designed to help students navigate the transition from high school to college. Students are enrolled in our class, IDY 111 Briton Path (.25 unit). This class opens the door to many sources of academic support available at Albion College.

Why was I selected to participate in Briton Path?

The Admission Department counselors identify those students whose GPA and/or standardized test scores are below those of students normally accepted into the college. Recognizing that these students have qualities found in successful Albion graduates, they offer admissions to the college while providing an additional support during your academic transition from high school to college.

What does your commitment to participate in the Briton Path involve?

You will enroll in IDY 111 Briton Path (.25 unit). A class session is held once a week. This one day a week classroom experience focuses on the “hidden” rules of successful college level academic strategies; it teaches you the language of our college culture and explores your own capacity for self-motivation and self-management.

This class also includes an evening learning community lab. Your learning community will be led by an academic coach (often a Briton Path alumni) who will meet with you three evenings a week for a two hour time period (6 hrs/wk total). During these study periods, you will have academic planning meetings, study skills workshops, tutor sessions for support in your first-year classes, and learn alongside your peers.

Why are six hours of learning community labs required?

These sessions are meant to provide you with an extra boost towards success. During the first semester of college you will be asked to make an abrupt change from high school to college study habits. College level learning requires that you master course content outside the classroom, often engaging in regular ungraded work on your own. Evening sessions with your learning group provides an opportunity to learning how to organize and manage this work. Your study time will include reading ahead for class, reviewing lecture notes, and studying for exams over a period of several days.

A second factor is realizing that you will have to learn course material at a deeper level than memorization of facts. All in 14 short weeks. The mandatory study sessions, meetings with academic coaches, and availability of weekly review sessions are intended to put you on the road to success in all of your fist semester classes.

Will participation in the program impact the courses I can take?

Prior to SOAR, admitted students will complete an Academic Questionnaire. As with all other Albion College first-year students, this will information will be used to help create a well-balanced and successful course schedule which will help you to be the most successful during your first-semester. Briton Path students are grouped together into learning communities and assigned an Academic Coach based on a shared first-year class, so any changes to your first semester schedule must be in consultation with a Briton Path staff member.