A summer bridge program brings new students to campus for a few weeks before their first fall term, and many are designed with first-generation students in mind. Use this article to find out whether your college runs one, what it asks of you and how it fits with family and work.
What happens during a bridge program
Programs differ a great deal from one school to the next. Some last two weeks and focus on orientation, while others run most of the summer and include one or two classes for credit. Many include time with advisors, visits to the tutoring and aid offices, and workshops on study habits.
The main benefit is a head start on the campus itself. By the first day of fall, students who took part know where the offices are, have met staff by name and have a group of classmates in the same position.
How students are chosen
Some bridge programs take any incoming student who applies. Others are tied to a state opportunity program, an admission pathway or a scholarship, and taking part is a condition of admission or of keeping the award. Read your admission letter closely, because a required bridge program is sometimes mentioned in a single line.
Deadlines often fall in the spring, before many families have planned the summer. Ask the admissions office early in the spring whether the college has a bridge program and how to apply.
Read your admission letter closely, because a required bridge program is sometimes mentioned in a single line.
Costs, work and family
Ask what the program covers. Some pay for housing, meals and books, and a few offer a stipend, while others charge tuition for the summer classes. If the classes carry credit, ask the financial aid office whether summer aid can help and how it affects aid for the year ahead.
For many first-generation students, the harder question is the summer job. A family that counts on your summer earnings may see a bridge program as lost income. Explain what the program offers, ask the staff about a stipend or campus work, and weigh the weeks away against the job you would give up.
Parents sometimes worry about a child leaving home early, especially when nobody in the family has lived in a dorm. Many programs hold a family session or share a schedule in advance, and passing that along can ease the conversation.
Steps to take
- Search the college website for summer bridge
- Reread your admission letter for any summer requirement
- Ask the program what housing, meals and books it covers
- Talk with your family about the summer schedule
Who decides
Your college's admissions office or the office that runs the bridge program
Ask about a bridge program early in the spring, before the summer is planned.