Di Bonaventura said the prospective teachers had to survive a three-hour group interview in which they had to present a seven-minute mini-lesson and design a field trip in half an hour with other applicants.

“It’s a very real situation compared to what we do—teachers in the summer are asked to do a lot in a very little amount of time,” Di Bonaventura said. “Our teachers don’t get a lot of sleep.”

After the group interview is completed, the applicants are asked to meet one-on-one with a Summerbridge staff member and have to complete a self-evaluation.

“We ask them to take risks, and we do that in the program over and over and over again,” Di Bonaventura.

This year, five Harvard students made the final cut—a typical number, Mead said.

Mead added she was pleased with the results of the interview process—one that was revamped this year.

“One thing that has been fantastic has been the group of teachers this year,” Mead said. “This group of teachers has been incredibly resilient and positive and constructive.”

—Staff writer Alan J. Tabak can be reached at tabak@fas.harvard.edu.