Course Information
Bridges participants will attend a week-long, 1-credit seminar series aimed to equip them with the skills they need to be successful post-graduation. This intensive seminar series includes workshops on alumni/professional networking, the job search, personal finance, and relocation information.
Employment and Internships
Once accepted, participants will have individual conferences with a career advisor to work together in creating a job search plan and enhancing resumes and cover letters. We do NOT place participants but aid in the process and help identify contacts and resources.
By participating in the program and one-credit seminar, participants meet federal criteria to qualify for internships, should they choose to do so. Career advisors will assist participants with their internship search as well as their employment search. These internships may lead to full-time employment.
Before arriving in Los Angeles, participants attend orientation sessions on the home campus, where they receive information on job search, internships, housing, transportation and academics. Once acquainted with the program, students begin searching for and applying to jobs and internships. For some, the process continues when they arrive in Los Angeles. Others will begin right away.
Potential employment and internship sites who have worked with Elon students in LA include:
- FremantleMedia
- Inside Edition
- "Conan"
- "The Ellen DeGeneres Show"
- Evolution Entertainment
- The Weinstein Company
- Hollywood Life Magazine
- E! Entertainment
- Screen Gems
- Disney
- MTVN_VH1
- Ronnie Yeskel Casting
- Los Angeles Film Festival
- Warner Music Group
- "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition"
- Paramount
- Lionsgate
- "The Mentalist"
- A&E Television
Housing
All bridges participants in Los Angeles will be required to live in apartments contracted by the university with The Oakwood – Toluca Hills Corporate Housing. Oakwood is a residential, temporary housing facility located just outside the gates of Universal Studios in Burbank. All rooms are fully furnished, have wireless broadband and an onsite health club. These facilities have several meeting and banquet rooms and a theater screening room. The facility also features a grocery store, an Enterprise Rent-a-Car desk that honors the special arrangements with Elon University students and recent graduate and a bus service operates from the facility.
Roommates
Participants will be given the opportunity to select their roommates in April. There are four participants per apartment. Participants should let the program coordinator know if they have any special needs.
Visitors
Participants are allowed to have visitors, but their stay must be limited to two nights and must be permitted by all the roommates in an apartment. We ask that participants not to repeat visitors. If students' parents are planning to visit, we can recommend several hotels that are close to our facility.
Dates
This program typically runs from early June to early August.
Summer 2015 dates are: May 30, 2014 to August 1, 2014.
Travel
If participants are making their flight plans for the summer, keep the following in mind:
The Bob Hope Airport in Burbank is 15 minutes away from the housing at Oakwood and someone involved with the Elon in LA program will pick students up upon their arrival in Los Angeles.
Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) is 50 minutes away, and we do not offer transportation from there to Oakwood. Cab rides cost $50-70 and Super Shuttle costs $40.
If participants are planning on driving to LA, please consult AAA to get some suggested routes and hotel accommodations. We do NOT recommend that students travel alone. On average, the trip can be made four days from North Carolina.
Participants can also ship their cars to LA through one of many companies, and the price ranges from $600 to $900 from Greensboro. Here are two suggested companies:
http://www.dasautoshippers.com/
http://www.carmoves.com/
Transportation
We do recommend that participants have access to a vehicle in Los Angeles. Most of our participants rent cars through our special deal with Enterprise Rent-a-Car. They can make reservations starting in April. The deal allows adults younger than 25 to rent cars for the program at a reduced rate. The average charge for a compact car is $600 to $800, not including insurance. Participants should check with their insurance agent to make sure long-term car rentals are covered by their agreement.
Public transportation is limited in LA. Here is the link for the Metro LA:
http://www.metro.net/
Road Trips
Participants are free to leave LA at any time, but we ask that they inform the program coordinator in writing so that their whereabouts are known. They will have projects on some weekends, so they must be flexible with their weekend plans.
Cost
$4750 inclusive of housing, program fee, and tuition.