The Emerging Scholars Program is for incoming first-year students that have shown they have great potential to succeed in college but didn’t meet some of Brockport’s admissions requirements based on grades and/or test scores. With our active engagement and support-based resource program, they are selected to succeed.
Regardless of how students got here, they are here, and we want to ensure they are successful throughout their time at Brockport!
“[The Bridge Program] really helped me learn the campus, where all my classes were, and about a lot of services. I got a good head start when otherwise I would’ve been behind from the beginning.”
Mandatory Early Move-In & Bridge Program
First-Year Emerging Scholars will move in early to participate in a 4-day Bridge Program the week before classes begin.
The Emerging Scholars Bridge Program is a strengths building transitional opportunity with 3 main student success goals:
Start strong by building academic & personal skills
Meet people & get connected
Get to know campus and understand the resources
During the Bridge Program, students get comfortable with Brockport through immersion into campus and various workshops, including:
Recognizing and developing academic skills
Engagement with campus resources
Connecting with peers
Building community
Academic expectations
Understanding the student bill/financial aid
Success skills including time management, test anxiety, note taking, and more
First-Year Seminar Course: GEP 125
All first-year students must take a first-year seminar course focused on academic success and general college life. There are multiple versions of this course:
GEP 125: Emerging Scholars, Fannie Barrier Williams Scholars, Exceptional Talent students; three-credit, graded (can boost your GPA!)
GEP 125 gives students a foundation for a successful college experience, providing information about SUNY Brockport and a structured setting for examining individual interests and skills, and relating them to each student’s academic program.
On top of the shared content all first-year students get, Emerging Scholars receive more time with their instructor/advisor, engage more deeply with the resources and their peers, and dive into any successes or concerns as a group. GEP 125 is all about using your personal experience to grow personally and academically, while hopefully boosting your overall GPA.
Emerging Scholars in Difficult Majors
As part of our commitment to the success of Emerging Scholars, we connect with students who have declared the following majors that are traditionally rigorous and fast-paced:
Biochemistry
Biology
Chemistry
Computer Science
Cybersecurity
Earth Science
Exercise Science
Forensic Science
Geology
Kinesiology
Mathematics
Medical Technology
Neuroscience
Physics
These majors can be incredibly rewarding, but they also involve a heavy load of advanced science and math courses that can catch students off guard if they aren’t fully prepared.
There are great resources available at SUNY Brockport like tutoring, supplemental instruction, and academic coaching, but students must take the initiative to use them.
Emerging Scholars coming in as any of the aforementioned majors will receive communication from the program Coordinator and must meet with an Academic Advisor or Coordinator in the Academic Success Center prior to the start of their first semester to:
Talk through what to expect in your major
Learn more about your long-term career goals and explore whether this path truly aligns with your goals or if there are related options worth considering
Discuss resources on campus to support you academically
We know our students rely on close friends and family for support. We want to make sure that support continues through their first year at Brockport. By utilizing the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), we seek to enhance the academic experience by ensuring that a chosen family member is involved in their student’s progress and can provide additional academic support and encouragement. Note that communication will be academic only, excluding billing or behavior-related topics.
For more information and to opt-in to this communication program, click the link above.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Emerging Scholars are incoming first-year students that have shown great potential to succeed in college but didn’t meet some of Brockport’s admissions requirements based on high school grades or coursework. After carefully assessing applications, The Admissions Committee feels that with some additional support in some students’ first year at Brockport, their potential for success is limitless!
About 20% of our incoming first-year students are admitted as Emerging Scholars every fall.
The status as an Emerging Scholar student is just for the first year at the University. The first year of college can be hard for anyone – it’s a major transition! With the additional support services in place through the Emerging Scholars program, our goal is to ensure that transition is as smooth and successful as possible. After the first year, you can always access additional support through the Academic Success Center, but there is no requirement. Brockport has had students come in as Emerging Scholars and then graduate from the Honors College.
Aside from participating in the Bridge Program before freshman year, and taking GEP 125 the first semester, Emerging Scholars’ college experience will look the same as every other student. Most instructors will not even know which students are Emerging Scholars unless they are told!
SUNY Brockport’s Nursing program is highly competitive and space limited. Emerging Scholars interested in pursuing Nursing at Brockport must first enroll as Undecided (or in another health-related major) and complete their first semester of at least 15 credit hours with a 3.0 grade point average or higher before they are able to switch to Nursing Intent.
Yes, while majors vary in number of credit requirements, all SUNY Brockport students must complete 120 credits to graduate, and all students can complete this requirement within four years.
Nope! Tuition, room & board, and everything else are the same as every other Brockport student!
Yes!
Breakfast, lunch, and dinner will be provided by the Academic Success Center all 4 days until meal plans start the Thursday before classes begin.
The Bridge Program is a daytime program with sessions from morning through afternoon (with built in breaks for lunch and free time). There will be a few academic sessions, time to engage with different campus departments and resources, informative sessions about academic expectations, the student bill/financial aid, time management, test anxiety, and more, and plenty of time to connect with peers and make some friends before the semester begins!
There will be plenty of time for the students to tie up loose ends like purchasing a parking permit, selecting a meal plan, making last-minute schedule changes.
Emerging Scholars get the opportunity to get to campus a little early to figure things out before it gets hectic.
Yes, if a student is admitted to SUNY Brockport as an Emerging Scholar, they are expected to participate in the Bridge Program.
The college transition is often more difficult for students than they imagine it will be. It is an all-new experience; many are on their own for the first time and have to figure out their new level of independence, they are around all new people, the academic load becomes more difficult, and they are expected to navigate things on their own and ask for help when needed. Emerging Scholars get the opportunity to get to campus a little early to figure things out before it gets hectic.
In addition to early move-in, the Bridge Program, and the 3-credit first-year seminar, Emerging Scholars have a direct connection with the Academic Success Center. There is an Academic Success Coordinator in the Academic Success Center who hosts and coordinates the Summer Bridge Program and other programming throughout the semester. The Coordinator is your Emerging Scholars point person who will send weekly emails with useful information, reminders, and tips. You can meet with them for supplemental advisement, to ask questions, and more!
For more information, reach out to Jianna Howard, the Emerging Scholars Program Coordinator at jhoward@brockport.edu.
