The Good Life Gap Semester in Maine

The Good Life Gap Semester in Maine

Location
  • United States of America
Length
4 - 12 weeks
Program Tags
Arts College Credit Conservation Hands-On Learning Post-High School Wilderness Yoga Retreats
Need-based funding, 529 Plan eligibility, BIPOC funding
Health & Safety

Program Details

Activities
Boating Canoeing Cross-Country Skiing Farming Hiking Kayaking Snowshoeing Swimming Yoga
Timeframe
Fall Spring
Housing
Guesthouse
Primary Language
English
Age Min.
17
Age Max
22

Pricing

Starting Price
13900
Price Details
Fall Semester Total Program Cost: $14,900 | Spring Semester Total Program Cost $13,900

Cost includes everything: tuition for 10-12 credits, room & board, all fees, outdoor gear, books, journals, unlimited tea and marshmallows.

Scholarships available (need-based & equity-based). Please inquire.
What's Included
Accommodation Activities Equipment Meals Park Fees Wifi
What's Not Included
Airfare Domestic Airfare Airport Transfers Travel Insurance
Jun 05, 2026
Jan 05, 2026
25 travelers are looking at this program

About Program

Three-Time Winner of Award for Best Overall Gap Year Provider by GoOverseas! Four-Time Winner of Community Choice Awards! Apply now for our Fall Semester and Spring Semester programs.

Step away from the confusions of everyday life and make yourself at home on a 60-acre homestead peninsula in the coastal woodlands of Maine. This immersive, experiential program allows you to live in intentional community with a cohort of 20 fellow students who like you are setting aside a season to explore the good life. The program engages the whole person: body, mind and soul. You’ll partake of experiences in nature, learn to forage & garden & cook, read inspired texts (one at a time), live into the big questions, practice mindfulness, connect to creativity and cultivate friendships based on the deeper things. Along the way you’ll complete 3 college courses (one at a time) for 10-12 credits with award-winning professors who embody the spirit of experiential learning.

COMMUNITY REVIEWS SUMMARY

This program offers a close-knit, supportive community where students engage deeply with nature, philosophy, and creativity.

Video and Photos

Diversity & Inclusion 💙

At Seguinland Institute, we are intentional about creating positive and respectful educational opportunities within a growth-oriented environment. As a student, you can expect an inclusive learning environment that is free from discrimination or favoritism. You are entitled to freedom from physical or verbal harassment of any shape or form. We agree with Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's idea of "the danger of the single story." We thus create a multi-perspective, multi-narrative approach to all discussions.
At Seguinland Institute, we are intentional about creating positive and respectful educational opportunities within a growth-oriented environment. As a student, you can expect an inclusive learning environment that is free from discrimination or favoritism. You are entitled to freedom from physical or verbal harassment of any shape or form. We agree with Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's idea of "the danger of the single story." We thus create a multi-perspective, multi-narrative approach to all discussions.

Program Highlights

  • Inhabit the Coast of Maine: Live in riverside cottages, canoe the river, hike the preserves, beach comb by the open ocean, boat trip to islands, lighthouses, bald eagles & seals, multi-day trip to Acadia Nat'l Park, sunrise from Cadillac Mt.
  • Rediscover the joy of learning. Explore ideas to live by. Connect to Creativity | 3 College Courses: “THE GOOD LIFE COURSE” (Philosophy), Philip Francis PhD, “GOOD LIFE FOR ALL" (English), Seguinland Faculty, "THE CREATIVE LIFE" (ART), Marsha Dunn, MSW
  • Cultivate Mindfulness: Built-in daily practices for calming and focusing the mind and knitting together your attention span. Also, “Tree Dwellers Retreat”: stay a night in a luxury treehouse w/ wood-fired cedar hot tub. Also: Scandinavian-style sauna!
  • Good Life/Food Life: Eat good food here. Volunteer at an organic farm that gives its produce to people facing food insecurity. Work w/ expert local foragers to identify, harvest and cook a foraged feast. Feel nourished.
  • Create Intentional Community & build friendships based on deeper things. In a time of social fracture and crises of meaning and belonging, community building is crucial. Envision game nights, dance parties, bonfires, communal meals, star-gazing!

Program Reviews

4.95 Rating
based on 107 reviews
  • 5 rating 95.33%
  • 4 rating 4.67%
  • 3 rating 0%
  • 2 rating 0%
  • 1 rating 0%
  • Housing 4.8
  • Support 4.9
  • Fun 4.95
  • Value 5
  • Safety 4.95
Showing 25 - 32 of 107 reviews
Giacomo
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Seguinland fall 2024

I would recommend this program to anyone who is in a transition period between high school and college, especially those who are struggling to find their place. Seguinland helped me find out more about myself, its structured in a way to help people avoid distractions and push themselves to do something extraordinary. It also gives time to focus on self improvement by having weekly times of solitude which was a nice change of pace from the overstimulation lots of us are used to in our daily lives.

93 people found this review helpful.
Alexandra
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Seguinland gap program

I really enjoyed my time at Seguinland! I learned a lot from the program and the people. The three courses were very informative and engaging. I wasn’t sure about morning yoga before I attended, but it became a wonderful highlight of each day. The teacher is a gem. The area is beautiful and the food is delicious. Cooking together was a super fun activity. It is a meaningful experience that I highly recommend. The staff are very helpful and if you have any questions about the program they are available to answer them.

What is your advice to future travelers on this program?
Enjoy yourself! Try new things and know the staff are there to support you.
88 people found this review helpful.
Henry
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Seguinland Institute

I really enjoyed my time at Seguinland. When I arrived I got placed in the largest cottage with a bunch of amazing and unique people. From the start I felt accepted and an important part of the community we were forming. The ten weeks were filled with fun excursions, events, and projects. Every single staff member was warm and helpful. I felt like I could talk to anyone about anything. I had the unique opportunity to interview with the transfer station director of Georgetown and amazing artist which had a big impact on me and shifted my perspective on several things like the importance of community. There were countless teachings, memories, experiences, and friendships during my time at Seguinland that I will keep for a lifetime. I highly recommend it for anyone that is considering.

What was your funniest moment?
What comes to mind is all the laughs had inside the cottage where 8 of us were living. One instance was when some of us were trying to bake cookies.
Pros
  • Meaningful relationships
  • Powerful experiences
  • Joy
102 people found this review helpful.
Finn
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Seguinland as Book Review

Plot: Much of the time at Seguinland is spent on adventures like hiking mountains, sailing seas, or exploring art studios. The program is jam-packed with various activities that are always being changed and added to, by students as much as staff. There are academics, but nothing that could be mistaken for a class period at a traditional school. You have fun and gain wisdom chiefly through experience.

Characters: The staff seeks to educate in a way that extends beyond academics and into mentorship. You can be earnest and vulnerable with them, and they will be there for you. The friendships you develop among students and staff foster an atmosphere of extreme trust and openness; like a breath of fresh air. They will be like your family by the end.

Setting: The small peninsula on the Back River where you live is surrounded by enchanting marshes and waterways. You are often free to wander them and get to know (and fall in love with) the wildlife; including the sweetgrass, the bald eagles, and Sally the seal. You will find yourself gazing at the Milky Way often and maybe even sleeping under the stars.

What was your funniest moment?
I was cowboy camping with a friend on a rocky outcropping during the Seguinland canoe trip to Beil island. He woke up early the next morning hearing sputtering noises, and thought I was making them in my sleep. On closer inspection, he found that it was actually a seal that had surfaced next to our rock.
95 people found this review helpful.
Stella
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Best Three Months of My Life

When my mom found Seguinland on a list of good gap year programs and showed it to me, I was a little apprehensive. 10 weeks in the middle of the woods? With people I don’t know? I was nervous to begin my gap year and I had been feeling some regret about my choice to take the year as I saw my friends having fun when they got to college, but the Good Life program at Seguinland made me so grateful for that choice. The people I met and the experiences I had changed my life, and I wouldn’t trade them for anything else.

If you did this all over again, what's one thing you would change?
I spent a fair amount of time while in this gap year program looking towards the future. I thought a lot about what I would be doing once it ended, how much I would miss all of the friends I had made, and what practices I would take home with me. Those were all important things to think about but the things I would change are all the moments where I wasn’t living in the present. I wish I had spent more time truly soaking in how meaningful and incredible the experience was and remembering that the future is not always the most important part of life.
Pros
  • The staff and teachers
  • Hands on experiences
  • An incredibly strong sense of community
Cons
  • I don’t have any!
90 people found this review helpful.
Mackenzie
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Fall 2024

My time at Seguinland was life-changing and has helped shape me into the person that I am. In a society of disconnection, it was so special to be given a space to step away from technology, immerse in the beautiful nature of Maine, and experience life wholeheartedly. I felt that the experiences offered were well-rounded and gave access to so many inspiring perspectives that reinvigorated my natural curiosity and creativity.

It was easy to feel at home with the amazingly supportive staff. I greatly appreciated their personalization of the program, remaining flexible and catering to the individuality of the cohort and its members. Above all, the program's emphasis on community was so unique and resulted in the warmth of a chosen family. The connections I made there will be lifelong!

I cannot recommend this program enough!!

Pros
  • Extremely strong sense of community
  • Wide variety of meaningful activities
  • Supportive and involved staff
75 people found this review helpful.
Luke
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Magical - A Leap Worth Taking

My time at Seguinland was perhaps the best 10 weeks of my life, and certainly the most growth-filled.

The thing that made it perfect was the community there. It seems to attract a certain kind of person: kind, deliberate, fun, quirky, thoughtful, adventurous, and caring. I met some of the most incredible, inspiring, and genuine people I ever met. This is true for the staff as well. They were incredibly kind and went beyond all expectations in terms of providing support and individual care.

You will certainly meet some of the nicest people you have ever met here. You will do things you never expected to try, see breathtaking views of natural beauty, and most of all, have so much fun! The courses were thought provoking, fascinating, and gave us new perspectives on how to live more meaningful lives. Our cohort found joy in stargazing on the docks together, playing songs around the campfire, singing songs in the cookhouse, exploring the stunning walking trails along the river, playing board games, and even dancing together!

It's hard to express how much I loved my time there, and as someone who hadn't traveled by themself and got homesick in the past, I can say with confidence that this is a leap you should take!

What was the most surprising thing you saw or did?
One night, someone ran into the cookhouse and said the sky was red. We all excitedly ran out to the bridge over the river, just in time to see the faint but visible colors of the Northern lights.
Pros
  • The simply incredible and kind cohort
  • The amazing and supportive staff
  • The incredibly beautiful and serene location
Cons
  • Having to leave what felt like a loving family once the program ends
56 people found this review helpful.
Mackenzie
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

A Life-Changing 10 Weeks

My time at Seguinland was life-changing and has helped shape me into the person that I am. In a society of disconnection, it was so special to be given a space to step away from technology, immerse in the beautiful nature of Maine, and experience life wholeheartedly. I felt that the experiences offered were well-rounded and gave access to so many inspiring perspectives that reinvigorated my natural curiosity and creativity.

It was easy to feel at home with the amazingly supportive staff. I greatly appreciated their personalization of the program, remaining flexible and catering to the individuality of the cohort and its members. It was obvious that the staff cared deeply about the experience of each student. Above all, the program's emphasis on community was so unique and resulted in the close-knit sense of a chosen family. Together, we made the most wonderful of memories that I will carry with me throughout my life. The connections I made will be lifelong!

I highly recommend this program!

Pros
  • Extremely strong sense of community
  • Supportive and caring staff
  • Wide variety of meaningful experiences
56 people found this review helpful.

Questions & Answers