Here’s a pro tip for those thinking of attending Boise State, courtesy of current students:
become part of a Living Learning Community.
The College of Health Sciences is associated with two of Boise State’s eight such groupings, voluntary associations of incoming first-year students who live in residence halls together based on common interests and take part in an aligned class.
The Health Professions Living Learning Community gives those interested in careers in medical and care fields a chance to meet others with similar interests; the BroncoFit community draws students from across the university’s many programs, even as many participants seek balance in their lives and have special interest in physical activity and wellness practices.
The communities go back nearly 20 years; the first two, established in 2004, were the Health Professions grouping and the community aligned with the College of Business and Economics. Four, including those two, are academically and career-based in alignment with schools and colleges; the other four, including the BroncoFit unit launched in 2016, are theme-based, in tune with students’ lifestyles.
The groupings aren’t large; about 25 students, grouped in several residence halls. Students take part in each for the year-long experience, for a total of about 200 students every year. But the experience has an outsized impact, participants report.
Kylie Porter, a student from Pocatello, and Anastasia Burbage, who started Boise State knowing no one as a student moving to Idaho from Southern California, both use the same figure to describe how much they’d recommend the experience: “100 percent.”
They go on to list the benefits they’ve received — and they’re only halfway through the year.
Immediate friends. Help and support with studies. Answers to questions having to do with navigating the university’s systems and processes. Familiar faces on campus and in classes. Activities and fun, much of it thoughtfully planned and designed by faculty members and former participants who serve as peer mentors.
On the calendar this year for Living Learning students: a Friendsgiving party. The chance to wrap a faculty adviser as a mummy during a Halloween gathering. Field trips. Talks with faculty members from a variety of programs. River rafting. Study halls. Service learning. Lab tours. A workout with a personal trainer. Hammocking along the Greenbelt. And the list goes on.
Burbage first heard about the communities last spring from a Boise State tour guide before she was accepted to the university. Kristin Olson, the assistant director of academic initiatives who oversees the Living Learning program and is serving as the current faculty-in-residence representative for the BroncoFit community, was there for her every step of the way.
“I think it was easier because of BroncoFit. There was a welcoming face that I knew,” Burbage said. “It was a way to get more situated with Boise State, kind of like a bridge to connect you to other people. It’s nice coming into college with friends already, and having a close-knit group of people you’re around all the time, you can help each other out.
“I think I met one of my closest friends through the program, actually.”
Olson points to the evidence that shows that students benefit greatly from such supportive services. Grades are higher, emotional and mental well-being are improved, resilience is built.
“We know that residence life supports student success, and this just takes it a step further,” Olson said. “It’s the icing on top of the cake, really different than a student gets with a traditional experience. We see students thrive and we see students fail less.
“They are amazing opportunities.”
For Boise State, historically a commuter school, the communities were an ideal way to improve the student experience.
Faculty benefit too
It’s clear they improve the faculty experience as well. Travis Armstrong, a clinical assistant professor in the Department of Radiologic Sciences, is serving as faculty out of residence in partnership with Mary Crowell, in residence this year for the Health Professions community.
Because Armstrong mostly teaches upper-division students in his classes, it’s a chance for him to meet and engage with incoming students. And because many students think in terms of “doctors and nurses,” rather than the broader spectrum of health careers, it’s a chance to paint a full picture of what health care entails, and the many jobs and opportunities available. As is the case with many COHS lecturers and faculty members, Armstrong worked extensively among area health care providers and so can provide insight and practical advice.
“It’s been really fun to get to know the students and to get some insights into the freshman experience, just an awesome opportunity to work with young people,” he said, noting that he is both a parent and had a similar experience navigating health careers when he was younger. “Like a lot of students, I just thought medical school and that pathway. They often don’t recognize the myriad opportunities open to them.
“From day one, there’s structure, community-building activities, so they are well and thriving,” Armstrong said. “This is one of the best things going on on campus. It adds a whole other layer. It’s the surest way to get plugged in to healthy, positive, growth activities from day one as a freshman.”
Cultivating friendships and support
Porter, who is in the BronocFit community, has a best friend in the Health Professions community, but says of her Boise State experience, “Otherwise I was pretty much going in blind.” She learned about the communities through college counseling at her high school about a year ago, a few months after she had been accepted to Boise State.
“I was going with an open mind,” she said. “I asked questions about each individual one.”
Porter, who is working through her general education requirements now and is interested in marketing and hospitality management with a goal of starting a small business, joined up with the BroncoFit community.
“It’s definitely helped me understand myself in a better way,” she said. “I’m making my best friends on the floor.
“It’s been a really good support system,” Porter said. “I would 100 percent recommend this to any incoming student. It’s definitely a great way to start getting connected with people.”
She offered up another pro tip: Listing Living Learning as top choice on an incoming student’s housing form.
“Doing it sooner rather than later,” she said, adding, “I don’t know what I would do without it at the moment.”
Porter’s already thinking down the line, though. She and cohort members plan to room together next year. And she’s got other plans for them as well.
“I can see them at my wedding and going through life with me.”
To learn more: visit the Living Learning Program website.