Bronco Gap Year allows students to take a break before starting college or pause for a year or a semester to save money, focus interests and start or restart their college experience with a stronger sense of purpose while gaining elective credit toward their degree at Boise State.
Kenna Cox, programs and projects manager for the College of Arts and Sciences dean’s office, and Melanie Jones, director of the COAS Center for Advising and Student Success, will present about the Bronco Gap Year program at the 2021 Idaho College and Career Readiness Summit on Monday, Oct. 4 and Thursday, Oct. 7. Visit the conference website for more information.
Conceived in the COAS dean’s office as a recruitment and retention tool in response to the pandemic, Bronco Gap Year meets students where they are. In its first year, the program has already proven itself and continues to evolve to support the needs of students.
Before her gap year, Nat Parry was torn between studying music and medicine. She needed time to explore.
“Bronco Gap Year gave me an opportunity to connect with people who I otherwise would not have been able to meet and to actually understand their journeys through college. I’m now able to better understand why I want to do what I want to do and figure out how I’m actually going to get there. It gave me a chance to turn my ideas into actual plans,” Parry said.
With help from her mentors, Parry decided to pursue a music major at Boise State. During her gap year, she created a website to showcase her creative work and received elective credit toward her degree.
“Bronco Gap Year offers a new kind of bridge into the college experience, and our partners in the high schools will help us identify students who would benefit the most from that bridge,” said Kelly Myers, director of the program.
Presenting to high school counselors and administrators at the Idaho College and Career Readiness Summit is part of the program’s commitment to partnering with schools across the state to support Idaho students and meet them where they are.
Visit the Bronco Gap Year website for more details about the program and application process, or contact gapyear@boisestate.edu with questions.