In 2008, the Mont Alto campus introduced Jump Start, a program designed to meet the challenges -- academic and social -- that first-generation college students face in the pursuit of a college education.
Since then, the program, which is free for students who participate, has helped 183 undergraduate students meet their goal of earning a college degree. Over the years, Jump Start has expanded to include students from multiple walks of life, while remaining committed to its original purpose: understanding the needs of our students and meeting them where they are.
“The exposure to campus resources Jump Start provides helps you have a successful college experience at Mont Alto.” Samantha Morrison, 2013 Jump Start student, 2017 Penn State Mont Alto graduate
Jump Start's goals are designed to help students meet their individual goals:
- Raise your level of academic preparedness so that you are ready for college level courses by having you complete college level coursework tutorials before your fall semester entry.
- Provide you with an extended orientation (Early Entrance Experience) allowing ease of transition academically and socially.
- Ease the social and academic transition from high school to University by connecting incoming you with upper-class peer mentors and a professional Learning Specialist.
- Develop your student leadership skills through peer mentoring programs.
- Work with you to ensure higher persistence and success rates, compared to eligible students who chose not to participate.
Program Components
Jump Start uses a combination of virtual learning modules and in-person mentoring and coaching to help students succeed. The Jump Start experience is highly personalized to address the individual needs of each Jump Start student. Read more about the program components here.
Who Benefits from Jump Start?
Jump Start's primary focus is helping students close the skills and knowledge gap in math and English to give them a solid foundation for their academic journey.
Any new student is invited to apply for Jump Start but space is limited, and students with demonstrated academic need will receive priority acceptance.
Jump Start isn't the right fit for everyone, so don't worry if you're not accepted into the program. The Jump Start coordinator and our Academic Support Center team will still help you develop an individual success plan that clearly states your goals, identifies on-campus resources that can help, and outline the steps to take to reach your goals.
You can let us know you’d like to participate by submitting this form.