The Good Life Gap Semester in Maine

I came to Seguinland the semester after I graduated from Brown, and it was the best decision I could have ever made. This program is a counterpoint to the rigidity of many higher education programs, which often direct one to a default path. Instead, the Seguinland experience exposes students to a manifold of possibilities, planting seeds through a diverse array of experiences and perspectives such that students feel empowered to discover their own conception of the good life. From visits to community orchards and local farms to the unique creative visions that are realized in the Creative Course, to cross-country skiing to a frozen lake amidst the tranquility of a late February snowfall, community is at the heart of all that we do at Seguinland. The course will introduce you to a smattering of ideas and experiences—the arts, community, nature, poetry, myriad of conceptions of the good life, local food production—through which you can learn more about the world and your place within it than you could have ever imagined.

Based in Georgetown, Maine, The Good Life Gap Semester is an 11-week program where you’ll join a cohort of around 20 students to explore the guiding question: How do you go about living YOUR good life?

The faculty refine the experience every year; I can attest that 11-weeks felt like the perfect amount of time, 20ish students was the ideal size for a cohort, and living on a homestead with tidal salt marshes in Maine was incredible!

The Good Life Gap Semester fosters a sense of hope and builds the tenacity students need to overcome challenges in all facets of their lives. The pedagogical practices that Seguinland Institute implements is something you don't typically see in higher education. You will end up seeking meaning, seeking purpose, building relationships, developing better attention, gaining perspective, and taking this time for exploration!

I arrived at Seguinland as a body still learning its own edges, and I leave rearranged. Somewhere between the snow melting and the flowers beginning to bloom, something in me shifted quietly.

It feels as if some raw material that had been sitting somewhere inside me finally - finally! - started bubbling up and taking shape. Maybe that is what all this talk of alchemy has really been about: not simply turning lead into gold, but the process itself, the material transmutation.

This is Seguinland, a place where you are invited to bring your unfinished, uncertain, contradictory self and see what it might become. It gave me space to think, people to think with, conversations that stayed with me long after they ended, and the freedom to follow questions wherever they led. More than anything, I felt cared for. I felt connected - to the people around me, to the staff, to the strange little community that formed so naturally. I still wonder how so many incredible people somehow managed to cluster together in one place so coincidentally.

So, to put it simply: Seguinland shaped me.

It did not just put me on the edge, it made me jump. It made me trust that the ground would form below me. And it did. Again and again.

I leave now not exactly with answers - although I did find a few - but with better questions. More honest ones. Bigger ones. Questions I’m actually excited to carry with me. And what a privilege that is.

Thank you for letting me jump, Seguinland - and quietly teaching me how to fly, too.

I went here after high school and before college. I wasn’t sure if I even wanted to take a gap year, but I applied here on the recommendation of a college professor who had seen it do good for their students. My experience after that just blew me away. I never thought I was a people person, but now ended up forming a deep bond with each of my fellow cohort members. Some of the best memories I have are around their campfires, cooking with their amazing staff in the cookhouse, and reading our writing to each other while overlooking the sea.

Seguinland is a program where everything you put into it gets returned tenfold. The courses and readings are very thoughtfully curated, but it's the moments in between that make it the magical place it is. It’s watching the seasons change from icy snow-covered landscapes to glowing green sunshine, late night dance parties in the cookhouse, going out to the dock to stare at the stars, and walking each other back to your cottages for a few more moments together. The entire experience feels holistic, as does the care that the staff puts in. Not only do they care about your academic performance and your insights on readings and philosophies, they care deeply about each and every student, and are dedicated to showing that care. You find a family here. One that is often loud, often full of laughter, and music, and art, and always full of deep love for each other.

As an international student, coming to Seguinland was not only the best opportunity I ever had, but also the best decision I've ever taken.

The experience feels natural and unique to every individual, specially living on an island free of tech. Personally, I felt a lot like myself! Through sharing my country's cuisine, dancing & singing on the Gathering Space (tree house), volunteering around the community and creating out of curiosity!

I'd say there are few spaces in life where you can feel you're living and growing at the same time and trust me, THE moments of solitude are meant for that. You'll probably have ups and downs, but part of being away of things that distract us or ignore our emotions is facing them and learning more about ourselves 🫶

Overall, this place, program, and its people added so much color to my life and I wouldn't see myself somewhere else!! So if you're looking for somewhere to be, explore, share & create non-linearly this incredible family in Georgetown, Maine is for you! 🦭❤️

The Seguinland Institute is a lovely place staffed by truly lovely people. My time in Maine was my first time living away from home, and it turned out to be a good first step towards independence before going to college.

The campus is gorgeous, and in my free time I really enjoyed moments of solitude out in nature on the marsh. I gained a lot of insight from the guest speakers and community members that we got to talk to throughout the program. A standout experience was visiting the Waterville Art Center during the creative life course, where we got to learn about a third space founded with the intent of creating community through the arts.

I highly recommend this program.

My time at Seguinland was deeply meaningful and transformative. During my time here I was able to slow down and learn with intuition through a balance of academics, mindfulness and hands-on learning. My small knit cohort challenged me to grow socially and emotionally. I was very nervous about this program in the beginning and if people would be nice and like me but trust me everyone is in the same boat as you! By the time the program was over I didn't want it to end, and it seemed that everyone got even closer. I loved this program, and I know anyone who decides to do it will to.