Preparing for College: Inside Cal Poly’s Summer Springboard Program

By: Brian Fischer

Summer Springboard is a two-week program that offers high school students a glimpse of life as a college student at Cal Poly. Participants in the program reside in the residence halls on campus, eat in the dining halls, and take classes taught by Cal Poly instructors, emphasizing Cal Poly's Learn by Doing pedagogical approach.

"It's honestly like a college experience. You get that freedom of college," says attendee Michael, a high school junior heading into his senior year. "I'm a first-generation college student. So, I have no knowledge of what college is like, because I have no one to tell me about it. I kind of got that experience of what college is like early, so now I kind of go in with some idea of what to expect."

The focus of Summer Springboard is to give high school students like Michael pre-college preparation, helping them make decisions about majors and potential careers to pursue, which Michael appreciated. "I knew I was applying for college soon, but I was like, how exactly do I do that? What's going on here? So, it was nice to have our little days where we talked about this. How to apply, what it's going to be like, everything like that. It all really helped."

The program is designed to facilitate and encourage student success, demystifying the college experience and exposing students to a range of course content. Academic tracks allow students to explore a field or specific interest, or to learn a new subject they may never have considered before, before committing to any goal for college.

Willa, a sophomore, appreciated the opportunity to explore her love of podcasts and the potential future she could have as a professional in the field.

"I never thought about what I should go into, and I have a couple more years left to think about that, but it has given me a path that I could see myself in and had envisioned myself doing, so I think it just widened my eyes to actually see it."

"The first year of college can be incredibly overwhelming," says Summer Springboard director Marissa Floyd. "I think we often focus too much on the academic component and forget about the challenges of living on campus, time management, communicating with professors and campus staff, finding and using resources, social activities, and the list goes on! Our program is similar to that initial experience of arriving on campus, albeit in a much shorter and more manageable timeframe. I believe this is an invaluable opportunity for students to try on the first-year experience and gain confidence. It's also an excellent way to learn to communicate with professors in a small group setting which is an essential component of student success."

Other students acknowledged the complexity of having roommates for the first time. "It's an experience," reflects Kiera, a sophomore. "I've lived with other people but not in the same room, you really have to get used to each other, get accommodating, make sure everyone else's requests are met, plus yours and just compromise all the time. It's a struggle but it's really interesting and important."

Danica, a sophomore says, "I learned how to work with different people and live with people as well. Especially if they have different schedules than you, or things like that, you need to negotiate with them, just living with them."

The program is a collaboration between Cal Poly Extended, Professional and Continuing Education (EPaCE) and Summer Springboard, a recognized operator of summer programs for high school students. "I can't say enough about the incredible and dedicated team at EPaCE," says Floyd. &qu't;Working together has been a truly collaborative effort, and everyone is on the same page with the student experience and student success. Our team at SSB is like a family, it's a rare and special environment that I feel blessed to have found. And the team at EPaCE has matched that unique work environment that balances impeccable work ethic with professionalism and fun."

She continues, "I believe continuing education and bridge programs like these are invaluable and I hope we can continue to improve and grow the program as well as expand access so that more students can take advantage of this experience."

One avenue of expanding access was the offering of two Dean's Merit Scholarships from the College of Liberal Arts and EPaCE to students who meet the combined criteria of merit and need. "I saw that they were offering a full ride scholarship," says Michael.

"I knew that I was not going to be able to afford to go otherwise, so I decided to apply for it." After receiving the scholarship, Michael was ecstatic about the chance to experience the Cal Poly life. "I've been wanting to go here for a while. Two weeks, at my dream school!"

Looking back on his time in the program gave Michael a clear picture of the future. "Going to college, no one knows what to expect. You think you know what to expect, but you don't. And this program really does help you get that experience."