ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses a summer bridge program that was designed to achieve several purposes, one of which was to facilitate students' sense of belonging on campus. Summer bridge program are one type of compensatory program. Specifically, the five-week residential summer bridge program was designed to increase students' college readiness by promoting critical skills development, acclimatizing them to the campus environment, and nurturing their sense of belonging in college. Summer bridge participants spent most of the day in academic classes such as those listed above. Summer bridge instructors reportedly went out of their way to assist bridge students wherever possible. Summer Bridge students with whom we spoke talked at length about encountering negative experiences during the first year that affected their sense of belonging. Sense of belonging is context-dependent, takes on heightened significance in settings perceived as unfamiliar or foreign, and likely changes over time and place.
