In recent years there has been an explosion of college programs geared towards familiarizing high school students with the dynamics of college. The rapid increase of such institutions reflects our nation’s rising standard of education. College is more or less a necessity in this day and age. It is an option that everybody deserves to have. Programs designed to spark students’ interests in continuing education are popping up everywhere. Whether costly or free, colleges like to create programs of this nature to help students gain a better understanding of college. One such program directing young people towards a higher education exists at Long Island University (LIU). LIU’s college immersion program makes “students feel a lot more comfortable about college because they have been in a college setting, they have met college professors, sometimes they are in situations with college students and so it’s not so scary,” said the director of LIU’s Bridge Programs Susana Yurick.

LIU’s Brooklyn Campus has four programs for high school students. The BASIS Program is a summer program for students between their junior and senior years. The Health Professions Project, is a series of hands-on seminars during the fall, where students are introduced to the Allied Health professions, such as Occupational, Physical, and Respiratory Training. The College Project, a series of interactive seminars, grants exceptional high school students the opportunity to explore a broad range of academic disciplines. The Senior Bridge Program allows outstanding high school seniors to take up to two tuition-free college courses at LIU’s Brooklyn Campus.

Now that you are familiar with the programs, you may be wondering how they are funded. Many colleges and universities receive grants from the government to run these types of programs. “A university sees its mission as educating people. Some people get grant money to do it, and there is a lot of grand money out there, but sometimes they just do it with their own resources because they believe that people should be educated,” Yurick said.

College immersion programs for high school students are truly win-win situations. The colleges get free publicity and the students are given the opportunity to participate in an empowering program. Julius Richmond, an international School student, took part in the BASIS Program. “It was a good experience, especially the poetry class and that really helped me in high school, ‘cause we had to write poems. I feel that I was ahead of people ‘cause they take it to a different level like analyzing literature and it is a little different,” he said said. Programs formulated to expose young people towards all the advantages of a higher education are necessary and a great advantage towards students. Seventeen year-old Miriam Andino, who was involved in The College Project enjoyed the seminars in the Program and recommends other students to join the program “I would tell the students that it would be a good experience for them, that it will be a different perspective in their own eyes when they go to the program,” said Andino..