The Engineering Summer Bridge program serves as the premier transition program for Gallogly College of Engineering and Mewbourne College of Earth and Energy students. Each summer, incoming first-year students descend onto OU’s campus for this four-week, residential program, which seeks to provide students with academic and psychosocial support while exposing them to a wide array of professional skillsets critical to not only exceling as a student at OU but to adequately tackle the challenges facing our world.
Our 2024 Engineering Summer Bridge program will run from July 6th until August 2nd, 2024.
The Engineering Summer Bridge program has been designed to foster community and connection amongst engineering and science students. Through intentional programming with current students, interfacing with industry leaders, and exposure to college and campus resources, you will gain invaluable insight on how to navigate your time at OU.
During this one-month on-campus program, you will take a MATH course for OU credit, participate in a team-based engineering design project, and experience what Norman and Oklahoma City have to offer.
The program fee includes on-campus lodging and meals, tuition and fees, supplies for the final project, and any costs for off-campus programming.
Engineers profoundly shape nearly all aspects of modernized life, from innovative strategies focused on how society interfaces with technology to the deeply intertwined impacts of resource security and environmental sustainability. As the field of engineering continues to wrestle with complex, interconnected global challenges in an ever-changing world, engineers and scientists have been tasked to find solutions that meet both technical and sociopolitical constraints. Pulling inspiration from the poet John Donne, it has become apparent that “no engineer is an island” in and of themselves.
Engineering solutions rarely if ever happen in a bubble; rather, engineers must be capable of working in multidisciplinary teams with a wide range of stakeholders and community partners. To help better prepare Oklahoma’s next generation of engineers and scientists, the Gallogly College of Engineering is dedicated to laying a strong foundation of success for incoming students each summer through the Engineering Summer Bridge program.
Since its inception in 2007, the Engineering Summer Bridge program has supported hundreds of engineers and touts a track record of proven success. Students who participate in Summer Bridge begin creating their engineering support network earlier, which supports them inside and outside the classroom. Summer Bridge alumni have gone on to lead student organizations across OU, participate in undergraduate research, internships, and co-ops, and have found great success post-graduation at companies like AT&T, Toyota, Capital One, NASA, Chevron, and more.
Additionally, Summer Bridge alumni have been found to be resilient in their academic and professional pursuits, displaying higher first-year retention rates and graduation rates when compared to that of the university.
Engineering Summer Bridge programming is built on three pillars:
Throughout the program, students will participate in a hands-on collaborative project under the leadership of OU Engineering faculty. While previous projects have differed, some examples include designing a splash pad, programming a line-following robot, or developing a water treatment device.
There will be two rounds of deadlines, allowing earlier review and student notification. Students not selected in Round 1 will automatically be considered in Round 2.
Round 1: March 1, 2024
Round 2: May 1, 2024
Priority is not given to those that apply by the Round 1 deadline. Every application is reviewed by a committee and will be given the same consideration.
"Summer Bridge helped me form connections and a community and helped the adjustment since I come from a different state and made it a lot more comfortable for me. It even connected me to research opportunities, and this past summer I had a funded research project!”
- Shansley Glenn, Chemical Engineering, Honolulu, HI
“The Engineering Summer Bridge Program helped me immensely regarding making connections. I was able to develop so many meaningful friendships and it made the transition to college so much easier as I had a feeling of familiarity. I enjoyed the weekend activities and the morning workouts.”
- Symantha Noel, Computer Engineering, San Antonio, TX
“Summer Bridge helped my transition into college and made it easy socially and academically. I enjoyed all the activities, and it gave me a head start coming into college. I’m really thankful for everyone behind the scenes and the people that we know who put in so much work to be able to give us this chance to do Summer Bridge.”
- Coleman Bixler, Computer Science, Yukon, OK
“Summer Bridge helped me make friends and get out of my comfort zone and helped me build my network. It prepared me for college. Summer Bridge challenged me academically, but it helped me to a great extent.”
- Gizelle Leija, Industrial and Systems Engineering, Dallas, TX
A breakdown of the cost per student can be seen below, but the fee per student is only $500. Our generous sponsors allow us to offer the program at this discounted rate.
| Costs | In-State | Out-of-State |
|---|---|---|
| Tuition + Fees | $959.49 | $2666.49 |
| Room + Board | $1633.75 | $1633.75 |
| Programming + Supplies | $981.92 | $981.92 |
| Comparable Total | $3575.16 | $5282.16 |
| Cost to you | $500 | $500 |
The program fee is required once a student has been selected. Payments cannot be submitted until participants receive notice of their acceptance into Summer Bridge.
Thank you again to our sponsors, Phillips 66 and Dolese, whose generous donations allow us to offer the program at a discounted price for students.
Do you know a high school student who would make a great engineer or scientist? Are they interested in pursuing a rewarding degree at the University of Oklahoma with countless opportunities for career advancement? If so, please nominate them for the Engineering Summer Bridge Program!
Sign up to receive quarterly updates
Are you interested in receiving quarterly updates from the Engineering Summer Bridge program? You will learn more about this year's camp activities including an invitation to the final project showcase that occurs at the conclusion of the camp.
Director, Engineering Summer Bridge Program
(405) 325-5032
GLG 111
The best form of contact is via email to mep@ou.edu or to the director of the program, Brandon Abbott: brandonabbott@ou.edu During the actual Engineering Summer Bridge program, you may contact our staff from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. by calling (405) 325-3905. If you need to send mail to the Summer Bridge Program, please use the following address:
OU Gallogly College of Engineering
Gallogly Hall 115
173 Felgar Street
Norman, OK 73019
There are two deadlines—March and May. There is no priority given to students who register in March. The purpose of the two deadlines is to accommodate students who may learn about the program at a later time.
All Engineering Summer Bridge applications must be submitted online.
After each application deadline, students should expect to receive a response from our staff in two weeks. You will receive a response through both your OU and personal emails, as provided in your application. The email will contain forms for you to complete and bring with you to the Engineering Summer Bridge check-in. If you do not receive a confirmation e-mail within two weeks or have trouble downloading the documents in the confirmation e-mail, please contact us at mep@ou.edu and we will verify your registration. Please also check your e-mail spam filter to ensure e-mails from mep@ou.edu have been marked as “not junk” and “always trust this sender.”
Unfortunately, no. The system we use to create the application form is not able to save applications in between sessions. As a result, the application must be completed in one session. The two essay questions are on the first page of the application. We recommend that you copy the essay prompts onto a separate Word document and answer there. Once you are ready to complete your Engineering Summer Bridge application, you can copy and paste your answer from Word to the application form.
The total cost is $500 for all in-state and out-of-state students. This fee covers the cost of tuition and fees, room and board, programming/supplies and all other meals and activities. Primary funding from our generous sponsors allows us to offer the program at this discounted rate.
*There is no need to bring large amounts of cash with you to Engineering Summer Bridge.
Detailed instructions will be sent to you, the student, once you have been accepted into the program. Do not send payment to the Bursar’s Office at OU. Questions about program payments should be directed to the director of the Engineering Summer Bridge program at brandonabbott@ou.edu or (405) 325-3905.
After you have been accepted into the Engineering Summer Bridge program, an email will be sent to both your OU and personal emails two weeks after the application deadline closes. Please make sure you read through the e-mail and complete the necessary forms on time.
Unfortunately, no. This program is for incoming freshmen who are majoring in a discipline in the Gallogly College of Engineering or the Mewbourne College of Earth and Energy.
Yes! We encourage you to apply to the Engineering Summer Bridge program if you have applied to OU and are still awaiting a response from the university.
Check your OU and personal emails as well as associated junk mail folders. Please make sure your spam filters are set to allow e-mails from mep@ou.edu. If you have not received an email within two weeks of the application deadline date, please contact us at mep@ou.edu.
For directions to the Engineering Summer Bridge program welcome and check-in, please enter the following address into a map search engine.
Dunham College
250 W. Lindsay St.
Norman, OK 73069
Upon arrival, you may park anywhere south of Lindsey Street. It would be best to park around the housing area. Staff will be directing traffic and holding signs to show you where to go, so you do not get lost. Do not park in metered, handicap or faculty-in-residence marked spots.
The Engineering Summer Bridge program offers free airport shuttle service to and from Will Rogers World Airport in Oklahoma City. This service will only be provided on the first day of the program (move-in) and the last day of the program (move-out). To request shuttle service, please mark on your information packet form that you will be arriving by air and need shuttle service. One of our staff members will contact you for further travel information.
Free airport transportation to campus will only be provided on the first and last day of the program between specified times. We provide this as a service for all of our students who are flying in from out-of-state.
*Note – Early arrival to the program is not allowed. We are only able to accommodate lodging for the program dates, so please book/plan travel accordingly!
If this is your situation, our program does not accommodate for students arriving early. Students will need to make their own accommodation arrangements prior to check-in for the Engineering Summer Bridge program.
Yes! Our staff will coordinate a date and time for students to enroll in their Fall classes and will notify the student of the details. However, we HIGHLY encourage completing your New Sooner Orientation before the start date of the program.
No. The Engineering Summer Bridge program requires students’ FULL participation for the entire duration of the program— no exceptions.
No. Students will not be allowed to leave campus, or the program, for any reason—no exceptions. The program director should be made aware of any questions or concerns regarding personal conflicts during the program dates as soon as possible.
I have already applied and been accepted to the program and can no longer attend. What do I need to do? Please email mep@ou.edu or Brandon Abbott at brandonabbott@ou.edu immediately to let us know.
The Engineering Summer Bridge program is a four-week residential, on-campus program for incoming freshmen at the University of Oklahoma, who are planning to major in an engineering or geoscience discipline. It is truly one month that will change your future, forever. The summer program has been designed to help students prepare academically for the rigor of engineering coursework through course credit, team-building exercises, and seminars. Additionally, students will build relationships with peers, faculty, and staff. The program includes all housing, meals, seminars, team-building exercises, and much more. Engineering Summer Bridge is an elite program that will put you one step ahead in college.
Students will be staying in Dunham College, one of the on-campus residential halls. Do not forget to bring sheets for an extra-long twin-size bed, toiletries, towels, tennis shoes, jeans, and swimsuits. For a complete list of what to pack for Engineering Summer Bridge, please refer to your acceptance packet.
First, read ALL of the program emails. Make sure all your registration paperwork has been completed. Do not forget to bring the paperwork to check-in! Secondly, please register and attend your New Sooner Orientation before the program starts. Then, get excited for the fun to begin!
