FAQs
- What are the requirements for graduating high school students to apply to Bridges to the Baccalaureate?
- How can I determine if I am a member of an underrepresented minority in the biomedical and behavior sciences?
- When is the application deadline for graduating high school students?
- Can I apply to Bridges to the Baccalaureate even though I am not an underrepresented minority in the biomedical or behavioral sciences?
- Are Bridges Scholars guaranteed transfer to a biomedical or behavior science program at Cal Poly?
- Do I have to transfer to Cal Poly if I join Bridges to the Baccalaureate or can I apply to other four year university programs?
- Why must Bridges scholars remain in contact, at least once a semester, with the office of the program throughout their academic career?
- Is it required for Bridges Scholars to enroll in the Strategies for Success online tutorial, gross anatomy laboratory course, workshops, and seminars?
- Is the summer research internship at Cal Poly paid and is there a travel allowance?
What are the requirements for graduating high school students to apply to Bridges
to the Baccalaureate?
You must fill out an Eligibility Form prior to applying and meet the following National
Institutes of Health/Minority Opportunities in Research eligibility and funding requirements:
- Plan to enroll at Allan Hancock College this upcoming fall semester as a full tme student (min. 12 units)
- Intent to transfer to a four-year university and major in a biomedical or behavior science following completion of coursework at Allan Hancock College
- U.S. citizen or permanent resident
- Member of a minority defined by the NIH as underrepresented in the biomedical and behavioral sciences: African American, Hispanic American, Native American, or U.S. Pacific Islander
Other requirements:
- Minimum 2.7 GPA in science courses and a 2.7 cumulative GPA in high school courses
- Will meet with a counselor to file a Student Education Plan when enrolled at Allan Hancock College
The program is limited to underrepresented minority groups in pre-biomedical and -behavior
science disciplines regardless of financial hardship. The targeted groups are African
Americans, Hispanic Americans, Native Americans, and Natives of the U.S. Pacific Islands.
Please look at the answer for question 2 below if you are not a member of these said
groups and are unsure if you are an underrepresented minority.
You can download the eligibility form here. After you have completely filled out the eligibility form, please return it to STEM Center at Allan Hancock College in Santa Maria, fax it to (805) 922-9357, or mail it to:
Allan Hancock College
ATTN: Bridges to the Baccalaureate, STEM Center
800 South College Drive
Santa Maria, CA 93454-6399
You will then be contacted by the Bridges office to pick up an application if you meet the criteria for enrollment.
How can I determine if I am a member of an underrepresented minority in the biomedical
and behavior sciences?
On the eligibility form, which you are required to fill out before the application,
you will have to indicate whether you are a member of the following ethnic backgrounds:
African American, Hispanic American, Native American, or U.S. Pacific Islander.
If your ethnic background is not listed or if you are still not sure if your ethnicity
is underrepresented, you can check the “other” box and specify your ethnic background.
Upon review of your eligibility form, we will check with the NIH guidelines. If you
match the given criteria for enrollment, we will contact you to pick up an application.
When is the application deadline for graduating high school students?
The application deadline is open. Please turn in the completed application to our
office in Room W-11 at Allan Hancock College in Santa Maria or postmark it to:
Allan Hancock College
ATTN: Bridges to the Baccalaureate, STEM Center
800 South College Drive
Santa Maria, CA 93454-6399
You will then be notified in due course with the results.
Can I apply to Bridges to the Baccalaureate even though I am not an underrepresented
minority in the biomedical or behavioral sciences?
If you are not an underrepresented minority or if after you fill out the eligibility
form and do not fit the criteria for enrollment, you will not be able to become a
Bridges Scholar; therefore, you will not be able to enroll in and be funded by NIH to
do research at Cal Poly.
However, Bridges resources are available to all students: Non-Bridges Scholars will
be able to attend Bridges workshops and seminars and enroll in the Strategies for
Success online tutorial and advanced gross anatomy laboratory course.
Are Bridges Scholars guaranteed transfer to a biomedical or behavior science program
at Cal Poly?
Bridges Scholars are not guaranteed transfer to a biomedical or behavior science program
at Cal Poly. But if you meet all the requirements to transfer and are a strong student
academically, you will be highly competitive and increase your chances to transfer.
Do I have to transfer to Cal Poly if I join Bridges to the Baccalaureate or can I
apply to other four year university programs?
You are not restricted to transfer to Cal Poly and will be able to apply to any other
four-year university program of your choice. However, students chosen to participate
in this program agree to allow Bridges Evaluators to access their student information
at the schools to which they transfer.
Why must Bridges scholars remain in contact, at least once a semester, with the office
of the program throughout their academic career?
You will be tracked for up to ten years. Tracking of Bridges Scholars is necessary
for Bridges Evaluators to gauge the success of the program’s mission: to increase
the number of underrepresented minorities in biomedical or behavior science careers.
Though Bridges Scholars are not obligated, you are encouraged to network with fellow and future Bridges scholars to share your experiences and knowledge even after you transfer to a four-year university and go on to pursue careers in the biomedical or behavior sciences.
Is it required for Bridges Scholars to enroll in the Strategies for Success online
tutorial, gross anatomy laboratory course, workshops, and seminars?
It is very important that you take advantage of all of the resources offered to Bridges
Scholars. Enrollment in the ethics seminar is mandatory to prepare you for research
at Cal Poly. However, it is not a requirement for you to take the Strategies for Success
online tutorial, enroll in the advanced gross anatomy laboratory course, and attend
the workshops and other seminars outside of the ethics seminar. But you are required
to take the necessary prerequisites to transfer to the four-year university to which
you apply.
Is the summer research internship at Cal Poly paid and is there a travel allowance?
You will be expected to work a minimum amount of hours per week on your research project,
with much of that time being under the direct supervision of the research mentor.
You will be compensated an hourly wage and travel allowance for your time conducting
research at Cal Poly so that you will be able to work only part-time or not at all
in another job during the summer.
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Accounting Student
"My career goals as an accounting student are to fully immerse myself in the business world, to basically have an understanding of how businesses operate and function. The teachers seem to be very enthusiastic and very knowledgeable about what they're doing. Everything that has to do with learning how a business works is presented in a class. It's going to be very easy to apply anything that you learn here at school in the real world."
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