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Table 3 Benefits of participating in the summer bridge program. In an interview to provide formative feedback on the program, participants articulated the benefits they obtained. Coded benefits are in order from highest to lowest frequency, and sample responses are provided for each code. Because many participants described multiple benefits, the number of coded segments (n=65) exceeds the number of participants in the sample (n=29)

From: A case study of a novel summer bridge program to prepare transfer students for research in biological sciences

Coded benefits (frequency)

Sample response

Mentorship and Networking (20)

“The biggest reason is definitely networking with the different professors when we are introduced to all sorts of different faculty. That was huge because we got exposed to different kinds of lab settings and you kind of knew what you liked and what you didn't like.”

Future research opportunities (14)

“I like transition programs and research programs in general because. It helps me be open to more opportunities. So, after the [summer bridge] program, I was able to get into McNair and I’ve been in over like five conferences and I just got [a scholarship], so I’m excited. So, it just opens doors I think for more opportunity.”

Transferable Research Skills (9)

“I was able to apply, and talking to my mentor now, she said [she] wouldn’t have accepted [me] if I wouldn’t have gotten everything I learned during the [summer bridge] program…like the pipetting and the culturing. I feel like I learned a lot during the program.”

Easier community college to university transition (8)

“Navigating through the campus, connecting with people, transportation and being able to find the closest parking to my classes and stuff. So, when I started the first quarter at [the university], I wasn’t lost like everyone else, because I saw other students who were like my classmates in community college coming here being lost and frustrated because they couldn’t get to classes on time because they couldn’t find their classes. So, that helped me a lot, like, relax and be more comfortable being at the new school.”

Enhanced research interests (6)

“I guess expanding your scientific literacy. Like there is so much I learned, so [many] types of research going on here that I had no idea even existed as far as like research with bacteria, genetics, and all that stuff. So, it was a good survey of all these different kinds of research going on at [the university].”

Content knowledge applicable to courses (3)

“Also, the project that I did, my research project that I did, at the end of the [summer bridge] program. I used that, for example, for an assignment for my molecular biology class which I just finished because the professor asked us to write a mini-grant as an assignment and that was almost 40% of the grade in that class. And we were supposed to do something like, a mini research project, and use all the methods and everything we would need to write a mini-grant. So, because I didn’t publish anything about my small research that I did at the end of the [summer bridge] program, I used that to write the mini-grant assignment and I got 59/60 for that assignment.”

Healthy challenge (3)

“I think that it was to date one of the more difficult things that I've done at [the university], and I think that it set a threshold for me to judge other things by, and I think that [I learned about] lab culture, how to read and present on papers, [and] sorts of questions to ask.”

Personal growth (2)

“It definitely opened my eyes to what I could do. It definitely put research in one of those options for me to that I could, you know, pursue for my future.”