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

This program is great if you’re looking to explore the beautiful country of Ireland, both the remote countryside and big cities like Dublin and Galway. The hikes and surfs are some of the most rewarding things, and I can truly say that I have learned so much about myself. Through the leadership workshops, I was able to reflect on myself in a structured way, while also having fun learning with my group. The leaders are amazing, funny, and thoughtful people who are helpful and encouraging. It is also great to be able to live in houses with people your age, and it teaches you how to be a great roomie and housemate while also having a ton of fun!

This program was great craic. I learned so much about being responsible and living with others, as well as getting out of my comfort zone. I also pushed myself to try new experiences and hike and surf! It was so beautiful and fun although it was hard at times. The leaders are great but look out for the french one. He’s too french. (just kidding paul) I definitely recommend going if you want to push yourself socially and physically in a beautiful environment!! Girl today, leprechaun tomorrow. Surfing is lit and also cold but so fun.

I had a lot of fun in this program. I made some great friends, I loved the staff and felt like they really cared about us. I enjoyed going to each part of Ireland and seeing different cities and landmarks. I enjoyed the independence of living in a house with a bunch of other 18-20 year olds and finding out how to prioritize myself and meet my needs. I really enjoyed surfing, climbing mountains, and camping in the woods. Overall, I would consider it a positive experience that I will look back on fondly. I only have a few small criticisms. There was way too much time spent in the bus driving to the different locations. Our trips to the cities were fun, but only lasted 2-3 days. And about halfway through the program, the small town of Bundoran might become a little boring. In order to really get the most out of the program, you have to be very conscious of making the most of each activity and being fully present. If you are, you'll probably have a great time.

I haven't had the best experience with gap programs in the past so i was hoping that this program would be better. because of my adhd and my love for talking I've always always had trouble making friends throughout me life. But, here I was housed with other people that like to joke around and talk as I like to. I had the best gap year experience I could've hoped for with the amazing and funny staff to my awesome roommates to spend amazing adventures with whether that's farming, surfing, hiking, exploring bundoran, or having a craic with a pint at the pub yeh?

I feel like our group could've had longer trips to the places we go to like Galway or Dublin. I also feel that we didn't do enough hiking.

I have a ton of pictures and videos of the program but this website's standards for uploading them are restricting all of mine.

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.