Mentoring for UC College Bridge Program

Program Overview:

The University of Chicago College Bridge program enrolls high-achieving Chicago Public School students in University of Chicago courses that they take alongside their high school schedule. Students who are accepted in to the program have gone as far as they can go in the subject at their high school – usually meaning they have completed the AP coursework in the topic. The majority of the students are from Kenwood Academy here in Hyde Park, but there are others from farther out in the city.

Role of the Mentor:
No matter how ready these students are academically for U of C courses, there are still many challenges that they face throughout the year as they adjust to semi-college life. Most importantly, they all feel a struggle with a sense of belonging – often they are called out by the faculty on the first day as ‘the high school student’ in the class and they feel a spotlight on them for the rest of the quarter.

The mentor will serve as someone who will make them feel welcome, offer tips for success, acclimate them to the campus culture and generally serve as a sounding board and source of advice for anything they need help with, including college applications. The mentor and mentee will meet at a group orientation, followed by an expectation of meeting one-on-one at least twice each quarter as your schedules permit. There is no rule book to follow, it is simply about building a relationship and providing the student with someone who is closer to a peer and who they feel they can reach out to for assistance.

We will be attempting to match students with similar interests and/or backgrounds. Please email Bonnie Kanter, College Adviser, at bonniek@uchicago.edu if you are interested and she will talk you through the selection process. Thanks for your interest!