ASP Frequently Asked Questions

• What is the Academic Success Program?
  • ASP provides access (opportunity) and support to students that do not meet requirements for regular admission, yet who have the potential to succeed in higher education. ASP strives to develop and maintain a comprehensive academic, co-curricular, and extracurricular support system for the purpose of enhancing student persistence toward graduation.

• Who decides/determines that a student must enroll in the ASP-Summer Bridge Program?
  • Admissions Office decides based upon a variety of factors.

• How many students participate in the Summer Bridge Program?
  • Approximately 120.

• How many students successfully complete the Summer Bridge Program?
  • Over the past 6 years, anywhere from 85-95% successfully complete the Summer Bridge Program and are eligible to continue their enrollment into the fall semester.

• Do incoming ASP students have a major?
  • All incoming ASP students are first-year Exploratory students.

• What and who is an “Academic Advisor” in ASP?
  • Various SU faculty from Academic Engagement and Exploratory Studies serve as the Academic Advisor for all incoming, first-year ASP students. ASP students’ academic advisor is their professor from AEES 101: Introduction to Higher Education course as well. These faculty are highly skilled and trained individuals providing support and aiding students in their transition to higher education and assist students to; identify academic career goals, declare a major/program of study that is appropriate for their personal interest and academic skill set, and create semester schedules appropriate for career and academic goals. Furthermore, Academic Advisors work and collaborate closely with a paired ASP Academic Coach to provide holistic wrap-around support for our students.

• What and who is an “Academic Coach” in ASP?
  • In the Academic Success Program, an Academic Coach is either a Graduate Assistant, Graduate Intern, or a Graduate Student Payroll position. These individuals (often from a helping services major, background, or graduate discipline in a social science, counseling, college student personnel) can be described as providing one-on-one assistance and support with helping a student examine academic, social, personal and transitional concerns and perceived barriers to success. Coaches provide students with semester-long academic support in areas such as time management, procrastination, test preparation, and note taking and reading strategies. An Academic Coach is not an ASP student’s Academic Advisor.

• What classes are taken during the Summer Bridge Program?
  • Students will be enrolled in 6 college level credits, taking AEES 101: Foundations for Academic Success and PSY 101: General Psychology.

• Assuming the student attains the required grade in the course, will these credits earned be applied toward the required credits/classes for graduation?
  • The course counts towards graduation credits (AEES 101 is an elective and PSY 101 is a general education course).

• What is AEES 101: Foundations for Academic Success?
  • The AEES 101 course is a high-impact college success, first-year course designed using content and curriculum based upon research and data from The University of South Carolina’s National Resource Center on the First-Year Experience and Students in Transition, and addresses transitional topics such as: study skills (note taking, reading texts, test taking, etc..); personal responsibility; self-management and awareness; self-directed learning; and career/major exploration (since all incoming ASP students are Exploratory).

• Are there any other activities or programs required in addition to the course ASP students are required to complete during the Summer Bridge program?
  • Yes. In addition to the course, ASP offers a comprehensive program that consists of group study, individual study skills and various other programmatic activities. Students have academic activities from 9:00 am to 4:30 pm Monday through Friday with social activities each evening. These programmatic activities are mandatory and students must attend these in order to successfully complete the Summer Bridge Program. Other activities are also planned for students that are not mandatory. The ASP staff and ASP coaches inform students of the activities that are not mandatory, but participation is encouraged.

• Will the student have input in the fall 2023 course schedule assuming they are successful in this program?
  • The University schedules the student’s fall courses for them based upon the student’s Placement Test scores, career inventory results, and their anticipated major.

• How does the student plan for the fall semester regarding housing/billing?
  • Due to high success rate of our Summer Bridge Program students, housing places them in a residence hall and student accounts preps their bills for the fall semester.

• What type of communication have incoming ASP-Summer Bridge Program students been receiving since confirming their attendance?
  • Weekly emails (to both personal and SU accounts) detailing the need to complete any/all financial aid requirements, Placement Testing (if needed), registering for Office of Accessibility Resources (if needed), as well as two recent letters sent via US Postal Service detailing summer program requirements, specifying check-in information, orientation day schedule, ASP Student & Parent Agreement. 

Please contact the ASP office by emailing asp@ship.edu or 717-477-1134 with additional questions.