2005 Bridge Program - July 9 to August 5

What is the Bridge Program?

The Bridge Program at Dean College is a four-week academic enrichment program designed to assist students as they make the transition from high school to college. Bridge gives students a chance to become familiar with the demands of college courses, sharpen their academic skills, develop relationships with peers, faculty, and staff, and learn to budget their time and resources for academic success. Because the program is small, faculty and staff have a chance to work closely with individual students, focusing on their specific concerns.

Who should attend The Bridge Program?

The Bridge Program at Dean provides an ideal setting for students who want to:

• complete two college classes (6 credits) before you even start your first year
• prepare for the academic and social challenges of college
• strengthen reading, writing, and math skills prior to the fall semester
• improve time management and study skills
• develop relationships with peers, faculty, and staff
• potentially place out of any required developmental courses

Inside the classroom . . .

The primary academic focus of the Bridge Program centers on a 3-credit, college-level, General Psychology course and a 3-credit, college-level, First-Year Seminar course. Virtually all students enroll in these two courses during their first year of college, which means that Bridge graduates will have completed two courses before they even get to campus in the fall! The courses are enhanced by English and math skills components where faculty and staff work with students in small groups to further develop skills in these areas. Learning-style assessments help students to better understand their strengths and weakness. This information can be used to devise strategies for learning that allow for increased success in the classroom.  In addition, those students who placed into developmental courses as a result of their summer orientation assessments may opt to retake their placement assessments, and could potentially place into higher level courses.

Outside the classroom . . .

Beyond their academic work, students will participate in a variety of co-curricular and extracurricular activities because living in a residence hall means more than occupying a room in a building. These activities are designed to help students make friends while learning about themselves and the surrounding area. Previous Bridge groups have attended Paw Sox games and tackled ropes courses, among other activities.

To ensure the quality of students' experience at Dean, residence halls have both staff and student advisors who are well qualified and trained to assist Bridge students, individually and collectively.

During the fall semester...

In order to obtain continued academic support in their first fall semester, Bridge students are strongly encouraged to enroll in additional individual support through Personalized Learning Services.  Please click here for more information about this option. 

Facilities and Services

All of the academic resources of the Dean College campus are fully staffed and available to Bridge participants. These include the library, the Learning Center, and computer labs. Students can also use the Campus Center (including the bookstore and lounge), and athletic/recreational facilities.

Students also have access to the services of the Wellness Center, Office of Student Development and the Advising Center throughout their time on campus. Dean is proud to offer an unequaled depth and breadth of on-campus student-focused support programs.

Registration and Fees

Early registration is recommended since enrollment in the program is limited. Students who have received academic assistance or tutorial support for diagnosed learning disabilities should submit a WAIS-R, if taken, including sub-scores and interpretation, as well as any other diagnostic test data if they wish to take advantage of disability support services. All information regarding learning disabilities or issues should be forwarded along with the registration form. 

Total cost for the Bridge program is $3,800.  Included in this cost is tuition, room and board.  This fee does not include cost of books or any personal spending money.  A $100 deposit is due by June 1, 2005 and the remainder of the balance is due no later than June 24, 2005.  Limited financial aid is available for qualified applicants.   Please contact Jenny Aguiar, Director of Financial Aid, for specific questions about financial aid for the Bridge Program.  She may be reached at 508-541-1518 or jaguiar@dean.edu.

Please click here to complete the on-line Bridge registration form.

The College reserves the right to make changes in tuition, program costs, curriculum, regulations, program dates and to make additional changes for special features and services whenever such action is deemed advisable.

More information

To receive the brochure by mail or for general questions, contact:

The Office of Admission
Telephone: 1-877-TRY DEAN
e-mail: admission@dean.edu

For more specific questions about the Bridge Program, contact

Dr. Rob Lawson, Director of the Bridge Program
Telephone:  1-508-541-1752
E-mail:  rlawson@dean.edu