This study compares community college students' perceptions of their academic readiness before and after they participated in community college coursework. Students enroll in community colleges for many reasons but many drop-out before reaching their goals. High rates of attrition suggest that students may not accurately assess their levels of readiness for post-secondary study. This may lead to students dropping at least one class or out of college entirely. Students were randomly selected from nine community colleges in the Central Valley of California; 759 responded. A 60 item survey was utilized to gain data about the subjects. Students generally had some ambivalence about their initial preparedness. Students' perceptions of initial readiness significantly declined in most cases once they began their classes. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]