College Counseling at The Bridge Costa Rica

​Students and parents often ask what a supportive gap experience like The Bridge “looks like” for college admissions.  The answer is that – if presented correctly – students’ experiences before and during their time in Costa Rica can make applications stand out and show colleges that our students are more college-ready than many students who haven’t had their experiences.

Students at The Bridge who undertake the college application process work with our certified college counselor to complete the “traditional” steps for college applications, including preparing for and taking standardized tests (along with applying for accommodations when eligible), identifying characteristics of colleges and universities and generating apply-to lists, writing and revising essays, and completing and submitting applications before their deadlines.

However, our students’ non-traditional opportunities, those that make them really stand out, are what makes The Bridge a one-of-a-kind, powerful facilitator of experiences that result in applications that are very attractive to the schools our students want to attend.

Think about it. The Bridge graduates have:

• Faced and overcome challenges
  
• Developed an understanding of their learning styles
  
• Learned to advocate for their needs
  
• Lived away from home in a dorm with peers
  
• Cultivated significant international experience and multicultural skills
  
• Learned and practiced healthy life skills
  
• Developed a resume like no other that includes cultural immersion, volunteer work, leadership opportunities, international travel, internship opportunities, and professional-level certifications

​If we use essays, resumes, activities, and letters of recommendation to highlight these facts, our students have a unique advantage when applying to college.

Need some proof?  Here are a few statistics from last year’s college application season at New Summit Academy and The Bridge:

• ​Graduating Seniors Accepted to College: 100%
  
• Colleges Applied to Offering Admission: 69%
  
• Acceptances from "Colleges That Change Lives": Six
  
• Total Merit Scholarships Offered for Fall of 2024: $2,000,500
  
• Average Merit Award Offer: $75,000

Finally, here is the impressive list of schools – as unique and diverse as our students – where last year’s students enrolled:

The University of Miami, Curry College, Santa Clara University, The University of Southern California, Dickinson College, The University of Connecticut, St. Lawrence University, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, The University of Arizona, and Montana State University

We continually have students  at The Bridge in the middle of their application process, so wish them luck!