bridge to a smart start: a case study of Northampton Community College's summer bridge program.

• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/2047/D20247343

This study sought to understand how and why Northampton Community Colleges Summer Bridge programThe Smart Start programis highly successful at helping at-risk students transition to college-level work. For ten years, the Smart Start program has helped more than 150 incoming students acclimate to college, persist, and graduate through a 4-day, 32-hour curriculum delivered in the summer before the first semester. Using a modified version of Pierre Bourdieus Social Reproduction theory, this case study sought to understand the lived experience of seven graduates of the Smart Start program through semi-structured interviews. This study highlights how the Smart Start program developed personal connections, transmitted academic capital and college know-how, provided sources of inspiration, and highlighted the differences between high school and college. The development of these four factors are integral in the success of the program, and students who complete the Smart Start program boast a fall to fall retention 23% higher than similarly situated peers who did not participate in the program. This study can provide a curricular and programming roadmap for community colleges and universities interested in helping more of their students transition successfully to college-level work and life.