Gap Groups

Your Support System

Arial view of students sitting outside in a group

One of the most important features of Bronco Gap Year is the amount of support you receive. As a Gap Year student, you will connect with a community of students–what we call your “Gap Group.”

Gap Groups Include:

3-5 Gap Year students
A Faculty Guide and a Peer Guide
Personalized support
Connections to people and resources
Monthly meetings to discuss goals, progress, and ideas

What Do Gap Groups Provide?

Focus

To focus your gap year experience, you will identify a main goal, what we call your “theme.” Your chosen theme does not limit you. Instead, it provides direction for your gap year.

Support

Participants are grouped with students who are taking a similar gap year (before or during college) and share an interest in the same theme. Your group provides the opportunity to build community with peers while you each work on your projects and goals.

Flexibility

Gap years are all about exploration and self-discovery. If you find that you want to change or add to your theme, you can. Your theme is your starting point, but we know your interests will evolve–that’s the point!

Gap Group Themes

We offer a series of themes to help you focus your interests. It can be overwhelming to answer questions like “What are your goals?” and “What are you passionate about?” The themes help to provide a starting point for you to name your interests. They also help us create Gap Groups based on shared interests.

Click through the tabs to get a sense of the themes and the types of projects students have done in each theme.

abstract art created by student artist — Artwork created by Gap Year student Elijah Keck

The creativity theme gives you freedom to further develop a passion project. It can be something you’ve wanted to do for a long time, or you can imagine something brand new as you explore your interests.

Examples of creative projects:

Create a website
Start a podcast
Write, record, and produce an album
Hone your artistic medium and create a new collection

Teacher working with students — Teacher Education student working with children

The education theme is a great choice for those who are interested in teaching. This theme introduces students to an opportunity to reframe learning from the lens of a student to one of a teacher.

For your Gap Year project, you have the opportunity to take education-based classes on Coursera and connect with faculty and students in Boise State’s College of Education.

You may be feeling pressure to have it all figured out: Your major, your internship, your career—your future. Here’s the thing: You don’t have to figure it all out on your own. You can focus on career exploration as your Gap Year project.

The career exploration theme support you in finding your why so that you’re ready to start or re-start your college experience with purpose.

Your Gap Year project may include:

Coursera courses on personal and professional development
Exploring options for majors, minors, and certificates
Working closely with a representative from Boise State Career Services
Conducting informational interviews
Participating in workshops
Arranging an internship or job shadowing experience

Group of students conducting research outside — Undergraduate research helps you shape your interests, gain hands-on experience, and build a community

Through the undergraduate research theme, gap year students gain access to the Vertically Integrated Projects program or “VIP.” Gap year students can participate in VIP 100 to gain exposure to a range of research projects, or, if you have experience in the area, you can select one to focus on for your Gap Year project.

The undergraduate research theme will help you will build your knowledge and increase your confidence so that you are ready to contribute to meaningful research at Boise State.