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.

Before I came to this program, I'd have considered myself very, very introverted (A part of me still is, of course). I didn't find many friends in Highschool because of this. Being vulnerable scared me, being perceived terrified me - so when I first entered this program, I expected to be labeled as a misfit. But I found myself more involved with a community of people, and more happy to be surrounded by others than I have ever felt in my life.

On top of this, the staff were so supportive, helpful, and a genuine joy to be around during my entire stay here. My conversations with them are apart of the many dear memories I've made in this program. I've had wonderful teachers in the past, but none quite like the ones here. I seriously couldn't ask, or imagine having better Professors than the ones at this program. I'm kind of repeating myself, but they were genuinely such a joy to be around.

This program was truly something special to me, and every experience here has become a light in my life that I hold very dear. I'm still very close with many of the friends I had made at this program (including my partner, who I also found here), and I wouldn't give a single one of them up for anything.

Fun and exhausting, it is an experience. The location is beautiful, the faculty are amazing, and the food is really quite good. The cabins are fine. The program is very intense, and frequently leaves you winded. In the end there aren't many things I'd cut out of the itinerary. You find yourself piling into a van for a transformative experience every day.

The time spent, though only 70 days, feels a great deal longer. Yoga and hiking punctuate a schedule of day trips and open-ended class time. Community is a theme. You spend a lot of time talking to locals and developing a culture on campus.

The 'Good Food Facilitators' function as sous chefs and glance over your shoulder when you are mixing ingredients. If you are an inexperienced cook, it is very helpful. They are very accommodating and the atmosphere of the cookhouse is always warm and jovial.

Every faculty member feels like a master of their respective craft. It really is an impressive group of people. Occasionally the program would invite guest speakers, and they were invariably incredible. One I remember well was Bowdoin College CFO Michael Cato, who gave an illuminating talk on his struggles with identity as a Black man in the whitest state in the union.

Cabin life was quite lively and I felt it developed my skills with regards to self-sufficiency and coexistence. I deeply enjoyed late-night talks with my roommates and working on puzzles and meals together between classes, and the proximity of everyone's accommodations forges strong relationships. There was a give-and-take with regards to sleep and communal space.

Overall, I would recommend Seguinland to anyone who is intent on being pushed out of their comfort zone over the course of their gap semester. It is one of the most eventful 70-day periods of my life thus far, and if you are looking for adventure, it is likely your best option. The program is world-class, and as one of my roommates said, on move-out day I doubt anyone regretted their decision to attend.

My time at Seguinland was unforgettable and filled with so much learning, laughing, and living. I have made so many great friends here who I know I will continue to talk to and hang out with for many years to come.

After coming here I now feel more confident in choosing my own "good life" not one bound by the traditional 9-5 or what other people expect me to do, but one that is completely my own. I would recommend this program to anyone, but I think its especially helpful for people who want to change things up and find their own path.

I came to Seguinland without a clear plan for what the fall would become. What I didn’t expect was how much it would ask me to slow down and pay attention—not just to people, food, and art, but to my own mind. A line by Mary Oliver stayed with me the whole term: “You only have to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves.” That felt like good advice here. Less forcing, more listening.

I’ve always lived with a busy, restless inner world. My mind moves fast, jumps ahead, imagines ten futures at once. For a long time, I treated that chaos as something to fix or quiet down. At Seguinland, I started to see it differently. The chaos didn’t disappear—but I learned to relate to it with more curiosity than judgment. Instead of fighting it, I began to notice how much of my creativity came from that same restless place. There was space to sit with my thoughts, to feel things without immediately needing to explain or organize them. Mindfulness here wasn’t formal or rigid; it showed up in long walks, quiet mornings, shared silence, hugs, and moments of friendship—and in the permission to be present even when my feelings were tangled.

One of the biggest things I learned was about friendship. Not the idealized version, but the real one—messy, uncertain, sometimes confusing. As I became more honest with myself, I also became more honest with others. Some friendships clicked instantly; others took time or changed shape along the way. As the weeks passed, the group naturally split into smaller circles, but it never felt hostile or isolating. Even when dynamics shifted, people still showed up for each other, and there was a shared sense of respect that held the community together.

Food ended up being more important to me than I expected. Cooking at Seguinland brought back my desire to host—to invite people in, spend time cooking together, and let conversations unfold around the table. The kitchen became another place where my mind could slow down. Measuring, chopping, tasting—it grounded me. Sharing meals became one of the easiest ways to connect, and it reminded me how much joy I get from caring for people in a very practical, tangible way.

Creatively, the term pushed me to try things I had never done before. I made my first short film with my friends—something I had always wanted to do but kept postponing. Working collaboratively allowed my imagination to spill outward instead of looping inward. Being surrounded by so many artists—writers, musicians, painters, filmmakers—made experimentation feel normal, even encouraged. Creativity wasn’t treated as something special or rare; it was simply how people processed the world.

Beyond Seguinland itself, I met adventurers, artists, and thinkers whose paths crossed with ours and widened my sense of possibility. And within the program, I formed friendships that feel steady and lasting—both with other students and with staff members, who were present, generous, and deeply human in the way they supported us.

The Fall Term didn’t give me a single big revelation. Instead, it gave me many small ones: how to sit with a chaotic mind without judging it, how to trust my imagination, how to be more honest in relationships, how to enjoy cooking for others again, and how to let myself like what I like without over-explaining it. That feels like something I’ll carry with me for a long time.

As I inched closer to graduating High school I had no idea what I was going to do next, let alone what I was going to do with the rest of my life. I didn’t feel ready to jump right into collage, but I didn't want to float around either. This program gave me that perfect in-between space to reflect upon what it means to live a “good life” through its philosophy, writing and art courses. I can wholeheartedly say that this program made a huge positive impact on my life, and Im forever grateful I attended!

I would describe Seguinland in just a few words by saying, it's a once in a lifetime experience that you absolutely need to take. It's a gap year program that creates unlimited memories and moments. My time at Seguinland was the most incredible and meaningful experience I’ve ever had. If I could spend the rest of my life here, I would. Seguinland feels like my second home and it truly feels like my second home.

Before arriving, I was nervous that no one was going to like me for who I am but it was the opposite; I was surrounded by people who loved me for me, and I have made countless friends here. I’ve never met someone mean or unkind here.

The Seguinland Staff is beyond awesome, trust me :). I will miss Seguinland each day as time goes on, even the second I drive out off the dirt road. I will always love Seguinland and I hope future students will too.

Before this program, I had just finished my first year of college. I was left feeling empty, hopeless, and without joy. I had no actual connection with any of my peers or professors. Everything felt so transactional and fake, and I soon began to question if this was truly meant for me. During this period, I felt lifeless and had fallen into an existence of no real meaning, hidden from the world. I was so afraid to get out of my comfort zone and had become accustomed to living in such a monotonous, passionless way. I felt like I was without a soul.

As you could likely tell, deciding to go to Seguinland was not an easy choice for me, and without my Mom's guidance, I would not have made it. I am forever thankful for her urging me to go. Also, I felt deep within me that this was the environment I needed to be in. It was as if a tiny flame had reignited from within, and it only continued to grow and grow over my time there. Now then, my experience at Seguinland... It was of pure beauty, love, joy, and creation. I am constantly grateful to have had the opportunity to participate in the Good Life Gap Semester. It reawakened my mind, body, and soul to the world again. There is a difference between being alive and FEELING alive!

Overall, the program focused on the importance of community, belonging, reciprocity, awe & wonder, gratitude, the natural world, play, art, and much more, and cultivates these ideas through interactive discussions, field trips, creative projects, cottage life conversations, mindfulness, food, and more. I cannot emphasize enough the significance of the ideas and thoughts explored; every discussion was so impactful, enlightening, and crucial for our existence in the world today. This program fosters young adults who will build a beautiful society for all.

This is a place of LOVING community; I can say that with utmost certainty. Never have I felt more cared for and accepted than here. The friends that I have made in this program, I believe, will last from this life into the next. I care so deeply for them, and they care so deeply for me; relationships are the key to a good life. This is something I had no clue that I was missing beforehand.

The Seguinland instructors are by far the most insightful, thoughtful, and just wise people I have had the privilege of learning from. The entire Seguinland team is so welcoming, friendly, and accommodating. The CLAs (Community Life Assistants) were so, so much fun, and they always had awesome activities planned. I swear to you, everyone here has a different, more alive twinkle in their eye!

If anyone is reading this who is unsure whether or not to do it, like I once was, trust me... DO IT! It will take courage. You will likely feel uncomfortable at first. I know that I sure did. But that is the key to the good life! To let yourself feel every emotion and experience, even the somewhat uncomfortable ones. Allow yourself the gift of traveling into the unknown.