Summer Bridge Program
Students in the Emerging Scholars Program (ESP) begin their transition to their college experiences at Case Western Reserve with a summer bridge session. Over a six-week period, they complete two credit-bearing courses, one in math and one in writing, to strengthen their academic foundation. In addition, they participate in a series of workshops where they learn the strategies and habits of successful college students.
The bridge session includes daily group study and tutoring sessions, weekly one-on-one meetings with a peer mentor and interactions with staff members from student support offices across the university. Students receive a full-tuition summer scholarship, inclusive of federal grant eligibility, to participate in the session, along with a $3,500 stipend that substitutes for the wages they would have earned from a summer job.
Because they earn six credits during the summer bridge session, ESP students can take a lighter course load during their first year. As a result, they have more time to focus on each of their classes and can establish a foundation for academic success at Case Western Reserve.
Peer Support Network
Fellow ESP students are the first of many friends participants will make during their undergraduate years. However, the relationships they develop with one another in the summer can play an especially important role in promoting their future success.
ESP students form study groups and hang out together. They count on each other for advice and moral support. Once a month, ESP hosts a monthly workshop dinner where first-year students mingle with older participants in the program. The attendees share their experiences, get tips on courses and majors, and learn about opportunities within and beyond the university.
Advising and Mentoring
Once ESP students arrive on campus in the fall, they attend regularly scheduled advising meetings with the program’s leaders, who provide academic guidance and support, connect students with campus resources and alert them to opportunities in their areas of interest. The leaders also intervene promptly when the students encounter academic or emotional challenges. After the first year, advising meetings are no longer mandatory, but many students remain involved in ESP throughout their time at Case Western Reserve, and some continue to seek mentoring from ESP’s leaders even after they graduate.