Making Appropriate Matches

Making appropriate matches is key to having a successful bridge program.

The goal for bridge students is to complete the program, whether that be a master’s degree, a Ph.D., or a research program with preparation for matriculation into a Ph.D. To increase the likelihood of this happening, programs may want to consider resources they have (or do not have) available to students with various backgrounds and academic preparation. Prior to offering admissions it would be helpful to assess a student’s preparation. It is imperative that students understand your institution-type, expectations for completion of the program, and research options available at your institution.

Consider what resources are available at your institution.

What resources are available to support bridge students academically, emotionally, financially, and socially? How many faculty are supportive of the idea of a bridge program? Beyond support, how many faculty will be understanding — as an instructor — of students needing extra support due to deficiencies in their academic preparation? How many faculty will be understanding — as a research advisor — if extra time spent on academics results in less time spent in the lab? Can tutoring be offered to students with deficiencies in their academic background? What about instructor-led tutorials or study sessions. Will it be possible for bridge students to take undergraduate courses if needed? What other academic support will be available for bridge students?

Are there multiple people in the department, faculty, staff, or students that can help students with the transition, understanding departmental climate, expectations for graduate students, and expectations for the various research labs? Does your department have a physics graduate student association (See Mentoring to Retention). What other organizations are available to support graduate students outside of your department? What services are available to support students with mental or physical health issues? Are there potential funding sources for ethnical/racial minority students, women, first generation college students, or graduate students with financial hardships? Although the graduate student stipend, may be enough for some individual students to live on, particularly with support from families, this may not be the case for students of low socioeconomic status or students with families to support.

Are you making good use of pre-matriculation interviews?

Several reports from bridge sites have indicated that conducting interviews was extremely helpful for assessing student needs and match for the institution. The number of applicants may preclude this from happening for all students, but it is often feasible to conduct virtual interviews with a subset of applicants. These interviews provide an opportunity to better understand student preparation and motivations, determine if students are a good match for your program, and recruit students to your program.

Testing academic preparation during an interview can be tricky. Thus, we suggest that pre-matriculation interviews not be used in this way. Site leaders have found that asking students to solve problems results in anxiety and students failing to answer questions for which they clearly do know the answer. However, asking students how they go about solving a difficult problem has provided useful information for understanding their ability to solve problems. For students offered admissions, some programs have created assessments for determining placement. If you would like more information regarding these assessments or to speak with someone about these assessments contact the APS Bridge program at bridgeprogram@aps.org. Site leaders have also reported that having non-Bridge faculty participate in the interviews has helped with generating buy-in and support from other faculty members.

Interview suggestions

Pre-matriculation interviews should also help students determine whether or not your program is a good fit for them. However, students may not always know the questions to ask. Thus, you want to be prepared to provide them with that information without prompt. Lack of information on the things listed below has led to some misunderstandings regarding bridge programs. A few topics to discuss are outlined here.

• What does your program offer to potential students?
  Although their goals may be similar, bridge programs vary greatly and students will need help understanding these differences. In fact, students may be under the impression that all bridge programs have the same format and they do not. Thus, it is important to explain the kind of program that you offer in terms of preparation for a Ph.D. program, process for transitioning into your Ph.D. program, and research opportunities offered at your institution. If your program can only admit a single student, from the APS bridge program pool, make sure the student is aware of this (some automatically assume they will be a part of a larger group), and discuss with the student, ways that they can be supported (e.g., by connecting them to students from previous classes, or others outside the department).
  
  If your institution is a master’s granting institution, what preparation does your institution offer in terms of helping students to prepare for the Ph.D. (i.e., research experience, GRE preparation, support with Ph.D. applications, etc.). Some students are not aware of the benefits of doing an MS degree prior to matriculating in a Ph.D. program. How can you help them appreciate the advantages and also the implications?
  
  For doctoral granting institutions, what is the process for applying to your institution after successfully completing a bridge experience? Are students enrolled as master’s students? As Ph.D. students? As staff members? What markers must they achieve to advance to doctoral candidacy, or to complete their degree? If students are accepted directly into the Ph.D. program, this should be explained explicitly prior to student matriculation.
  
  
• Discussing research opportunities available at your institution is extremely important.
  Prior to their matriculation, discuss with students the research areas offered, how many opportunities to work in particular areas are available, and how selective the various research groups are at your institution. Many bridge students are excited about physics because of one or two areas of research that have piqued their interest. Students should receive honest answers about their chances of receiving a degree in their desired area of research. Some students have unrealistic expectations about this, and departments attempt to attract a student with the hopes that they will find another area as rewarding. While this is a reasonable approach, students should have full knowledge that some areas will be more difficult to pursue. Some sites have found it helpful to encourage students to be open to a variety of research areas and then having students start in the summer with doing research to build their awareness and interest in particular research groups.