Bridging the Valley Admission Requirements

The Summer Bridge Program is design to help students, who have been accepted to Bridgewater College, adjust to college life before the semester begins and brush up on math skills before fall STEM classes start. STEM = Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics

A select group of students will be invited to apply to the program by invitation only. Selection criteria will be based primarily on the results of the math placement exam taken during the spring orientation sessions in March and April. For those students who have the June orientation, invitations will be based on SAT math scores.The Summer Bridge Program is designed for students who have struggled in math and may be at risk of dropping out of their STEM major because their math skills make classes like General Chemistry and General Physics difficult.

The program will provide a three week course in pre-calculus math work designed to reinforce algebra skills and provide a context for math in science classes. Eligibility requirements for the program:

• you must sign up for one of the Spring Orientation sessions and take the math placement test
• you must have declared your interest in one of the STEM majors (Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Math, Physics)
• you must attend the Summer Bridge Program (June 27 - July 17) and agree to live onsite for the entirety of the program
• you must agree to participate in the Math/Science Freshman Interest Group (click here for more information) you must agree to join the Collaborative Learning Club in the fall semester (click here for more information)

Summer Bridge Program participants will receive an $800 stipend for the successful completion of the summer program and another $800 stipend for participation in the Collaborative Learning Club ($600 for the fall semester and $200 for the spring semester). More importantly, students participating in this program will be placed into a community of students and faculty who will help to make the first year at Bridgewater College as successful as possible.

If this program interests you, look for a letter from Dr. Overway soon after you have completed your spring orientation. If you are scheduled for the June orientation session, any letter of invitation will arrive sometime in March or April.

Contact Information

Dr. Ken Overway
Department of Chemistry - Bridgewater College
Office: McKinney 319
Phone: 540-828-5727
Fax: 540-828-5661
koverway@bridgewater.edu

Jennifer B. Sowers
Bridging the Valley Project Internship Coordinator James Madison University
Office: McKinney 344
Phone: 540-568-2601
Cell: 540-820-0514
sowersjb@jmu.edu