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La Prensa de Minnesota
U of Minnesota Bridge Program helps first-year students prepare for college According to Bridge Program director Steve Cisneros, the goal of the program is to help students successfully transition from high school to the University of Minnesota, and to ensure a positive University experience.
University News Service, University of Minnesota
Thanks to the Bridge to Academic Excellence Program, first-year University of Minnesota students such as Julio Herrera and Nadhia Fuentes are feeling right at home in their first semester at the U this fall.
According to Bridge Program director Steve Cisneros, the goal of the program is to help students successfully transition from high school to the University of Minnesota, and to ensure a positive University experience.
“The program is designed specifically for students who have little or no experience of how college or university systems operate,” Cisneros said.
The program started this summer when in-coming first-year students came to campus in prior to their first fall semester to learn more about campus and enroll in university classes.
The program continues to serve the students once school start. During the fall and spring students are provided with additional academic support and social activities.
“New freshman will be ahead of their peers in terms of earned credits and knowing the University of Minnesota,” Cisneros said. “The program will make the campus feel small and manageable so students may reach their goal of graduating from the University of Minnesota.”
Herrera, a 2007 graduate of Osseo High School, participated in the Bridge Summer Program said the program helped give him a jump on his adjustment to college.
“The Bridge Program helped you get ready for life on the campus. It also helped you learn how to be independent,” said Herrera, who is majoring in Spanish. “The program was a great experience and I think that all first generation students should sign up for it when they get the chance. They will not regret participating in the program. Plus, you get to meet some of the other students. It makes a difference to know people on the first few days than not knowing anyone.”
Fuentes, a freshman genetics major from Inver Grove Heights, was attracted to the U of M BRIDGE program because she wanted a chance to connect with other people who were going to the University and being able to see what college was going to be like before it
started.
“Without the BRIDGE program I would not have had as many friends as I do now,” Fuentes said. “BRIDGE enabled me to create a base network of friends whom I hang out with
now. One of the participants in BRIDGE even became my roommate this year. BRIDGE also informed me of the different programs available to students at the U and prepared me for college. I think that everyone should try and get into the program. It is one of the best decisions I have ever made and I am grateful that I was able to get in!”
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