Abstract
Across the nation, students are exiting high schools and headed to college underprepared and ill-equipped to handle the expectations and system of higher education. This lack of college readiness can be related to a limited perspective of the rigorous academic expectations or a lack in the social capital, cultural capital, or habitus necessary for success in college. While there are numerous programs available to assist students with this educational transition, both in secondary education and on the college campuses themselves, the research supporting their effectiveness is limited. This study focuses on the perceived college readiness that AVID provided former students in the areas of academic expectations, social capital, cultural capital, and habitus. Through the mixed-methods design, this study presents both a breadth of student perceptions regarding their experiences at one Northern California high school, as well as student voices who share specific ways in which the AVID program provided college readiness.