Posted by Sam Lawfer
Given the length of our winter break, I sought to turn my ample free time into an opportunity. That's where The Fullbridge Program came in, and all it took to get started was a 300-word essay. The Fullbridge Program is a group of professionals who provide the necessary skills to transition from school to employment by providing students with an accurate simulation of the professional environment. In this program, the mistakes you make are not treated like they would be with a real job, but rather are treated as opportunities for you to learn and grow from. Fullbridge coaches encourage risks and see them as real learning experiences. Make the mistakes at Fullbridge and learn from them so that when you start your real job or your next internship, you won't make such a mistake again.
You may be wondering what kind of information The Fullbridge Program provides. The Fullbridge Program attempts to make each participant literate in the language of business. Participants choose between two separate tracks: Business immersion and Entrepreneurship, but both tracks begin the program by learning the Common Core until these paths diverge at the midpoint, leading to unique final projects focusing on their respective styles of business.
A typical day is broken down into two four-hour segments that have a distinct business theme (e.g. strategy, innovation, brand, etc.). Within each segment, there are individual deliverables required of participants, as well as group deliverables expected from your team of five or six students who you work with intimately to achieve the common program goals. Much like in a real professional environment, these teams are made up of diverse participants with different backgrounds, majors, schools, interests and levels of expertise. The segments progressively build on each other, providing students with the opportunity to really handle the material and make it their own.
If you think that this program is not for you because you are not a business major or you think you do not understand business, do not despair. As a business major, I worked side by side with students pursuing degrees in English, economics, neuroscience, art history, gender studies and mathematics. They were able to pick up and become literate in the language of business because the supportive network at Fullbridge is unparalleled.
For business majors, this is a phenomenal opportunity to check and deepen your understanding of the global business world, as well as to get out of your comfort zone and work with liberal arts majors, pre-med students and others not typically in your classes - much like in the real world. The fact is that there is a necessity for business sense in our lives, and this program is capable of facilitating and complementing anyone's course of study.
While the focus is on professional skills, Fullbridge dedicates a portion of the program to the individual and personal career visions of its participants. For students who already know what career path they want to take, the program will provide a unique perspective on why that particular path might be a good fit for you, as well as providing new avenues to explore. For the overwhelming majority of students who do not know what they want to do after college, participation in The Fullbridge Program is seriously worth considering. I went into the program thinking I knew what I wanted to do and came out with an entirely different list of careers that were far better tailored to my interests and skills.
For more information go to: http://fullbridge.com/program/.
To apply for Summer 2013 go to: https://portal.fullbridge.com/application.
Application Deadlines for Summer 2013:
Monday, May 6th