Are College Bridge Programs Worth It? Here's Everything You Need to Know
It’s no secret that first-generation and low-income students are at a disadvantage in college admissions. The New York Times reported that at some of the most competitive colleges in the US, there were more students from families whose income was in the top 1% than those in the bottom 60% of the income scale.
Even with increased financial aid programs, such as MIT’s new program that gives a full-ride to all students from families under $100k a year and full tuition coverage for those making less than $200k, this doesn’t address the fact that talented low-income students struggle to be admitted to top colleges, not just to afford them.
College bridge programs are initiatives seeking to lessen this gap. They provide opportunities for students who are disadvantaged in the admissions process over two to three days. These programs aim to recruit and provide extra guidance for talented students who may not otherwise have access to admissions advising, detailed knowledge of the application process, or dedicated college counselors that wealthier students often have.
These programs, which can be offered by individual schools or external organizations, can take multiple forms in terms of timeline, eligibility, and the role they play in the admissions process. In this blog, we’ll cover 7 key details to know about college bridge programs and how to get these opportunities.
1. Carefully determine eligibility
While programs often provide basic information about which students are eligible to apply, there can be unclear information or differences between schools.
One example of this is geographic eligibility. For instance, the Explore Bowdoin program supports low-income and/or first-generation high school seniors from across the country in a fully-funded three-day trip to campus, giving an inside look into student life, academics, and the college application and financial aid process. On the other hand, UChicago’s Bridge to College is an analogous program, but it is only offered to students in the Chicago Public School (CPS) system.
While both programs state that they’re geared towards First-Generation/Low-Income students, they differ in exact eligibility. UChicago clarifies that only students at a Level 2+ or below CPS high school may apply. On the other hand, Bowdoin technically allows any high school senior to apply. Nonetheless, it’s not advantageous to do so if you’re not from the intended demographic, as there’s little to no chance of being accepted. While a bridge program denial does not mean you’ll be denied from the school itself, it’s still not an ideal note to have attached to your file.
2. Confirm timeline
Schools’ college bridge programs typically occur at the beginning of the school year to ensure that attendees understand the application process in advance. This gives students time to decide whether they’d like to apply to the school and complete the application. This means that applications for bridge programs are often due at the end of summer or early fall. So, if you’re aware of programs you’d like to attend, keep an eye on the program website to ensure you have time to prepare a strong application and submit it on time.
3. Talk to your school counselor
If you’re interested in bridge programs and have a school counselor you can speak with, it is a good idea to get in touch with them. Many of these programs encourage school counselor nominations, making you more likely to be accepted than if you apply individually. Even before your application is submitted, you’ll be on the admissions office’s radar as one of the top students at your school.
Most school counselors will be more than willing to reach out on behalf of strong students, as their role is to help them have the best college outcomes possible! It’s worth checking on the program’s website to see if they have an email, form, or expression of interest for submitting student recommendations. This can streamline the process of getting counselor support and ensure that this is something the school is genuinely interested in receiving and will take into account during the bridge program admissions process.
4. Don’t be afraid to reach out
As college bridge programs, especially those hosted by schools themselves, can sometimes have limited details available online, it’s normal to have questions. If the college application process is unfamiliar to you, it makes sense to want to learn how to approach college bridge applications or essays. Programs will always have a designated email address for interested applicants to contact the school, so it’s a great idea to request additional details on the application or the program itself should you have any questions.
It might feel intimidating to reach out to admissions offices. However, this is nothing to be hesitant about; program organizers actively seek out students who are both prepared for and committed to these initiatives.
While there’s no promise of a significant impact, getting in touch with admissions officers can sometimes even be advantageous. Seeking out extra information is a way of showing a strong level of interest and getting your name on their radar. Getting in contact can only help you and will never hurt. Be aware, however, that this is only the case for students genuinely eligible for the program. It is not recommended for wealthier or advantaged students to look for loopholes or try to establish their eligibility.
5. Consider external college bridge programs
While this blog has largely focused on school-specific college bridge programs so far, these are not the only opportunities out there. While the number of external college bridge options is more limited, many have a more extensive and long-term structure and level of college application support.
Questbridge is probably the most well-known nationwide college bridge program, offering both the College Prep Scholars Program for 11th graders and the College Match program for 12th graders.
The College Prep Scholars Program supports talented and motivated low-income students—typically those from a four-person household earning under $65,000 or the equivalent—throughout the year with a combination of counseling on the admissions process, support in attending summer programs and college admissions conferences, and preparation for college applications.
The College Match Program operates in collaboration with over 50 of the top colleges in the US, where students gain early acceptance and full-ride scholarships to schools of their choice. Students rank their top choices from the list of participating colleges and are ultimately “matched” with the school they most prefer that is interested in admitting the student.
(Note that College Prep Scholars participants will ultimately participate in the College Match as well, and 12th-grade students not previously involved with Questbridge are still eligible to apply for College Match.)
Other similar college bridge options include the Federally-organized TRIO program and the long-term AVID academic and college admissions preparation program.
6. Know the advantages
Being accepted to a college bridge program is not just a way of learning more about a school or getting insider knowledge on the admissions process—it also comes with significantly increased odds of admission.
While schools do not release data about how many bridge program participants are admitted to the school, the general knowledge in the admissions world is that it provides a leg up. Admissions officers will be aware of which applicants attended these programs and will consider it when evaluating your materials. Since you would have already demonstrated that you were a top candidate in another highly selective process, they’ll know that the admissions office has already shown interest in you.
You’ll still need to be a highly qualified candidate who is at the level of achievement of other students recommended for admission, but you’ll typically receive priority over other similar students. At some schools, the majority of bridge program participants are ultimately accepted, particularly those applying in the Early Decision or Early Action round. Nonetheless, it’s impossible to know for sure whether you’ll be admitted.
It’s worth giving a caveat here that there is no guarantee that college bridge program attendees will necessarily be admitted. Approximately 32% of Questbridge College Match participants become program finalists, and about 34% of Finalists are ultimately matched with a participating school. However, another 40% of Finalists were matched with a partner school for the program in the second Regular Decision round. So while participants have much higher chances of being admitted to schools with overall single-digit acceptance rates, keep in mind that bridge program participation is an advantage, not a guarantee.
7. Consider essay review
For those with the ability to invest in extra support for their college bridge application materials, services such as EarlyBird can review and provide feedback on your application to ensure everything is as polished as possible. Reviewers for these services typically have experience as admissions officers, so they’ll be able to determine how you can submit applications at the level of students previously accepted to college bridge programs.
If you’d like to participate in a rigorous research program open to high schoolers, you may want to consider the Lumiere Research Scholar Program, a selective online high school program for students founded by researchers at Harvard and Oxford. Last year, we had over 4000 students apply for 500 spots in the program! You can find the application form here.
Also check out the Lumiere Research Inclusion Foundation, a non-profit research program for talented, low-income students. Last year, we had 150 students on full need-based financial aid!
Alexej is a graduate of Princeton University, where he studied Linguistics, Cognitive Science, and Humanities & Sciences. Alexej works in college admissions consulting and is passionate about pursuing research at the intersection of humanities, linguistics, and psychology.
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