First off - thanks for all the pointers to the Clemson and Bridge registration sites. We applied EA, did not show up on the Clemson site, but do show up on the Bridge site, so we went ahead and said we were interested in the Bridge program. Good luck to everyone else.
So, a couple of questions:
I’ve read in prior posts that Bridge filled up and, even though students were offered the bridge program, they ran of out space (implying it was first come, first served). Is that still the case ?
Any feedback from parents/students that have been part of the recent Bridge program ? There have been very mixed opinions.
There is no EA at Clemson. If you apply by December 1st, you get a decision by February 15th. As far as Bridges go, it is not first come first served. Bridges is designed to offer those who barely missed out on gaining acceptance to Clemson a defined path to get in. There are really 5 decisions (maybe I’m missing one) you can get on your application.
Thanks - you’re right on the EA - just checked our status sheet. Based on your description of the decisions, sounds like we’ll be #2 since the Bridge program accepted our ID. Guess we’ll “officially” know in several days.
Congratulations on the Bridges program! You get to live on campus, participate in all activities (Except Greek Life) and have a defined path to full admittance next year.
@NotSoFranticDad My daughter got invited to the Bridge program and we paid her deposit immediately because we didn’t want to take any chances on her not getting a spot in the program, based on things we had heard from prior years. She is really excited to have the chance to attend Clemson as it was her first choice school. You will find that there are a lot of mixed opinions about the Bridge program, but ultimately, your child will be a Clemson student in every sense of the word, except for participation in Greek Life, as the person mentioned above. My daughter asked me before she ever sent in her application to Clemson how I would feel if she got Bridged… would I be embarrassed or disappointed… and my answer was NO WAY! If the Clemson admissions team thought enough of your child’s application to extend an offer to get them onto the Clemson campus in any way possible, whether it’s direct admittance or via the Bridge, then that is NOT something to be disappointed in or embarrassed about (not saying you were implying that, just telling you about my conversation with my daughter). I think some people have bad opinions about it because they probably think of it as a slap in the face and think their admittance should be an “all in” or nothing. Congratulations to your child and good luck in making a decision!
My son and I went down to the Bridge To Clemson information session and enjoyed hearing about the program, meeting some of the current students, and walking around the TCTC campus. (I guess by posting that, I’m not that anonymous anymore - oh well). The experience was very good.
A couple of good insights from the visit:
All of the guest Bridge student speakers enjoyed their experience, felt part of Clemson, and were involved in Clemson activities during their Freshman Year (clubs, sports, attended athletics, studied in the library, used educational resources, etc)
Walking around TCTC, 40% of the students were wearing Clemson gear.
My recollection is there are only ~2400 full-time students @ TCTC, so Bridge makes up ~1/3 of the students.
It is very easy to get from the Bridge Dorms to TCTC and back. They have frequent bus pickups that are conveniently located by the dorms.
The Bridge Program provides lots of extra support resources to ensure Freshman year goes well - RA’s who were in the Bridge program, Clemson Advisors, TCTC Advisors, Bridge Advisors, educational resources at both facilities, and regular advisor meetings to ensure you stay on track.
Due to the influx of Clemson Bridge students, they seem to be making major investments at TCTC. There were 2 new classroom/lab buildings and a new library/cafeteria.
If you received a Bridge invitation, you are guaranteed a spot as long as you have your $750 deposit in on time. In researching online, it seemed in previous years that you had to register right away or they might not have space.
The dorms look very nice. On the flip side, they seem to be apartment style. When I was a freshman in college, I liked having a common indoor hallway where everyone left their doors open. It seemed to help create a community. But, we were smashed like sardines in the small rooms.
So, my son is very excited about the program and I’m really excited about the program. And I feel that Clemson is excited about the program. I think there are great opportunities for my son here and, like any college experience, he’ll get out of it what he puts into it. I will definitely encourage him to get involved so that he meets lots of fellow Tigers both at TCTC and at Clemson.
(The above were from 4 pages of notes I took during the session. If you have any questions, definitely reach out to the Bridge Team as these are only my impressions of what I heard during the session). Or as they say, YMMV :)
@NotSoFranticDad Thank you for all of the information. I wish I had been aware of the information session today. Do you know if there will be another one?
@ladyvette826 I see sessions on 2/27, 3/1, 3/8, 3/13, 3/22, 3/29, and 4/17. If you search for “Bridge To Clemson Information Sessions”, you’ll find it on the TCTC website.