Adventure and Leadership Program: Semester Length, Fall and Spring Cohorts

This was a fun and interesting program. I was able to enjoy myself, while also feel myself growing as a person. I think that while there could have been more in the way of surfing and hiking, especially considering we were staying in a surf town, it felt like there was a good mix of activities. Some of the trips I felt could have been longer, especially the one to Dublin, as I feel like experiencing Ireland's capital should probably be given a week, as there is SO much to do there, including hiking and other "adventure" related activities. Overall I'd say it was a pretty good program with incredible support staff, making the worst part of the program some of the other people on it.

Had a good time, and learned a lot from living on my own for three months. The hikes and surfing were very fun, and the landscape is beautiful. Unfortunately, the town was far away from our housing. The trips were nice but fairly short, but they ended right before the weekends, so we were unable to get the foods we wanted before the weekend after. The climate was not as cold as I expected it to be, but was still cold. Overall the experience was great and really useful for me for when I go to college next year.

This program was a great introduction to living independently. The town of Bundoran was a beautiful place to live. We were given a lot of free time to explore and go to pubs, and I learned a lot from living in a house with seven other people. The hikes and surfing we did were incredible. I felt like there was a good amount of challenge in the adventure activities. I wished we had spent more time actually doing the activities rather than driving back and forth. I would have loved to spend more time outside instead of sitting at home.

I came into this program with the sole purpose being to have a space separate from the rest of my life. What I found was a group of people who not only made me feel seen and accepted but pushed me to be better and more than I thought I could be. The activities provided allowed me to grow with the people here and discover the person I want to be. The town was a nice home base to return to after everything we did that felt like an authentic slice of Ireland to live in. It also had some of the most beautiful scenery I’ve ever witnessed. Everytime we visited a beach I was floored and the natural beauty I was seeing. While there were some challenges and people who I didn’t get along with, that’s life. No program is gonna stop people from not getting along. Overall I had a great time and feel like a better version of myself.

Irish Gap Year was a great experience for preparing for college and exploring Irish. The staff is very helpful and the program is well planned out to explore various aspects of Irish culture. The various cities we traveled to were enjoyable, yet I wish we had spent more time in Dublin, and that the last few weeks were not packed with trips. I really I enjoyed the surfing and pubs during the weekend, along with all of the Irish cuisine. There were many places to explore that we weren't able to get to but even more than we did explore.

I had a positive overall experience with Irish Gap Year. The town of Bundoran is beautiful and there are many local shops to visit. There was a lot of down time to explore and sometimes I felt I had more time than things to do. We did a myriad of different activities such as surfing, hiking, camping, and farming. Another positive part of the program is that I met many new people, some of which are my new best friends; being part of a group like this has taught me how to work with different types of individuals and how to handle difficult social situations. Overall I enjoyed exploring Ireland and experiencing different adventure activities.

This program was a fun combination of travel, while creating the opportunity to gain familiarity with particular places. Because we lived in Bundoran, and would only take short, two-three night trips to other places, I was able to make tons of friends a connections in the town. I felt like I was able to really integrate into their lifestyle. It was nice to have a sense of home, while also getting to see all of the other Irish highlights. Gallway and Dublin were two of my personal favorites, as they were a great change of pace and we took some awesome tours. My favorite adventure based activity was the hike we took on the cliffs of Moher. Truly phenomenal stuff.

This experience was very influential on the growth of my leadership skills and personal growth. I felt like the staff had a great deal of fun with us which made it better to be around them and trust them. I would recommend this trip to people who are looking to get out of their comfort zone physically as I was pushed to my limit multiple times on the hikes and with the weather. I would say the housing situation was also great based on the house itself, however I would have preferred a better mix of people who were more on top of housekeeping vs people who were comfortable living with lower standards. I learned to become comfortable with living with conflict around me at a lot of times. The actual sites we visited were always beautiful and interesting. I greatly enjoyed the surfing and the beaches we visited and will definitely be taking that knowledge back home to practice more.