Bridge to College

Bridge to College, a program of The Urban Assembly, CUNY At Home in College, and CARA, is designed to support first-generation college-bound students to matriculate into college.  The program works with high schools throughout NYC to support graduating seniors as they navigate the obstacles that arise during the summer before post-secondary enrollment. Research shows that far too many low-income students who intend to matriculate into college abandon (or consider abandoning) their plans over the summer, in part because of the logistical difficulties they encounter in this transition from one institution to the next.

The Bridge to College program trains both alumni, called College Coaches, and adult supervisors to work in partnership to identify and respond to the varied needs of high school graduates.  College Coaches start in the spring, making presentations and leading workshops in schools, as a way to both share ‘college knowledge’ and build relationships with graduating seniors.  Over the summer, each College Coach has a caseload of seniors to outreach to through in-person meetings, phone check-ins, Facebook and e-mail exchanges. School-based supervisors track College Coaches’ progress and manage complicated cases. All schools, and organizations/networks of schools, implement a common set of core components (pdf) for program implementation.

Participating Intermediary Organizations:

• The Urban Assembly*
• CUNY’s At Home in College*
• Expeditionary Learning/Outward Bound
• Internationals Network for Public Schools
• Cypress Hills LDC 
• New Settlement Apartments
• Make the Road NY
• College Bound Initiative (CBI)

*The Urban Assembly, CUNY’s At Home in College and CARA serve as the primary coordinating organizations for the initiative.

For more information on the Bridge to College program contact Lisa Cowan: lisa.cowan@caranyc.org