News Item

"Inside Higher Ed" featured Pace University's vice president of enrollment Robina Schepp in "A Gap Year Students Can Get Credit For"
...The Verto program stands out compared to other gap years because it is a freshman year. Core requirements for freshmen are taken, so students later enter college as second-semester freshmen in the spring or sophomores in the fall.
During the program, students can earn up to 16 credits a semester. Of the four courses offered per location, two are country specific and the other two are general education. These all-program required courses include a college writing and rhetoric class and an identity and politics class.
"[Gordon] had noted there were families interested in doing a gap year, but oftentimes parents were concerned that their children would not be earning credit at this time," said Robina Schepp, vice president of enrollment at one of Verto's partners, Pace University.
"We were interested because we knew that students who were interested in doing a gap year were looking for a nontraditional experience and looking to grow," Schepp said. "Those students still want the opportunity to earn some college credit."
To date 25 students have applied to Pace through Verto. Because those students were conditionally admitted to Pace, they will receive further advisement to make sure that all their Verto credits will be applicable to their major at Pace.
"In general it's a nationwide trend that students come to college with more credit either through AP or bridge programs with their local college or community colleges," Schepp said.
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