Meaning & use
college preparatory
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Meanings
adjectivebefore a noun
Describing a school or study program that gets students ready for university-level work.
Grammar: Comes before the noun it describes: a college preparatory program. It is not used after a verb like "be."
Patterns
- college preparatory school
- college preparatory program
- college preparatory courses
She transferred to a college preparatory school because she wanted more challenging classes.
The college preparatory program requires four years of English and three years of math.
Many private schools advertise themselves as college preparatory, but their graduation requirements differ.
adjectivebefore a noun
Describing classes or a track within a school that are designed for students planning to attend college.
Grammar: Often appears in phrases like "college preparatory track" or "college preparatory curriculum," naming a set of courses rather than a whole school.
Patterns
- college preparatory track
- college preparatory curriculum
- college preparatory classes
Students on the college preparatory track take advanced science courses in their junior year.
The school added a college preparatory curriculum for learners who wanted to apply to four-year universities.
He chose college preparatory classes even though he was not sure yet whether he would go to university.
Common combinations
- college preparatory school
- Their daughter attends a small college preparatory school outside the city.
- college preparatory program
- The college preparatory program includes weekly meetings with an academic advisor.
- college preparatory curriculum
- The district revised its college preparatory curriculum to include more writing.
- college preparatory track
- She joined the college preparatory track at the start of ninth grade.
- college preparatory courses
- He took college preparatory courses in math and biology.
Synonyms and how they differ
- precollege
- Used mostly in formal or official writing about programs for students who have not yet entered university; it sounds more institutional than college preparatory.
- university-track
- Common in British English and in some other countries; it focuses on the path toward university rather than on readiness in general.
- academic
- Describes the serious, exam-focused side of school as opposed to sports or job training, but it does not by itself say that the goal is college.
Opposites
Word family
- college prep noun
- The short, informal American name for a college preparatory school or program.
- preparatory adjective
- Done to get ready for something; used in many phrases besides education, such as preparatory work.
- prepare verb
- To make someone or something ready for a future event or task.
Commonly confused: college preparatory or preparatory? college preparatory or preparatory school?
college preparatory vs preparatory
On its own, preparatory simply means "done to get ready." College preparatory is a fixed phrase meaning ready for college, so the two cannot always replace each other.
college preparatory vs preparatory school
In British English this usually means a private school for young children, often up to age 13, which is very different from an American college preparatory school.
Practice
Which sentence uses "college preparatory" correctly?
Choose one answer.
"College preparatory" is an adjective that goes before a noun such as school or program, so option B fits. Option An is tempting but wrong because the phrase describes the school or program, not the student. Options C and D use it as a verb, which it is not.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “college preparatory”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.