Are community colleges as institutionally underprepared for underprepared students as these students are for college-level work? With increasingly diverse student populations, unstable funding, and a broad mission statement, there is no question that underprepared students are a significant challenge for community colleges. Learning to listen to underprepared students is a strategy community colleges must embrace and explore at the institution level if there are to be any significant shifts in student outcomes. This is not unexplored territory for community colleges, as English as a second language (ESL) programs have begun to examine and understand the reality of the challenges and needs of their students. This, in turn, has provided these educators with an understanding of resources and curriculum structure they will need to serve these students more effectively. This article outlines some of the structures and issues underlying basic skills programs, rates of first-year retention, transfer rates to four-year institutions, student services, academic support programs, and the assessment and placement process.