Dynamy: Full-Year

Great experience to the real world after high school - I was a young graduating student. Outward Bound was a truly amazing experience - it was challenging and invigorating! I highly suggest attending an open house at DIY and going in for a tour of the program - you'll gain more of an idea of the internship year and meet current staff/students! DIY opened my eyes to many things and led to onto my career path/educational path to becoming a successful young woman! I currently work in Human Resources as the Talent Acquisition Specialist for a non-profit organization called YOU, Inc. which DIY is now part of!

As I approached my senior year of high school, it became clear that taking the traditional route and going to college was not right for me. Despite my academic success in high school, I knew I wanted to gain a greater sense of independence with guidance prior to entering college life. A gap year seemed to be in my best interest. For my gap year, I chose to enroll at Dynamy.
For me personally, I decided to go to Dynamy because I wanted to take the time to get a better sense of what career I’d like to pursue and the college courses I would need to take in order to determine my major so that I can achieve my goal. I also wanted to develop even stronger skills that relate to work ethic, time management, and responsibility.
At Dynamy, students are also provided internships to get hands on experience and to investigate different careers. Through this program, I obtained a teaching internship where I learned hands on experience in the classroom. I mastered how to manage a classroom and how to effectively work with students. I also secured an internship learning how to maintain and keep a pottery studio in top shape.
At Dynamy, improved my work ethic, fine-tuned my independent living skills like learning how to budget money for groceries, for transportation, and for other living essentials. I have also learned how to maintain a clean and safe apartment as well as how to live successfully with roommates. Having healthy relationships and communication is extremely important in order to coexist with your roommates, and this is a valuable lesson that has aided me in college dorm living.
Dynamy has also helped me to further develop my social skills. I am social; however, I struggle with finding the balance between my need to be assertive and people taking advantage of my kindness. Dynamy’s staff has helped me to work on these areas through one-on-one counseling and by giving gentle reminders to continue to strive to reach these goals. Something that has really helped me to grow socially is the requirement to attend social events for credit. This has provided an excellent opportunity for me to interact with my peers. These events have increased my confidence in social situations tremendously and I have gained many new friends.
In addition, attending these events has also taught me how to create a positive balance of my work life and social life. Over the course of this semester, I took a class through Clark University and had to learn to find time for studying, attending events, working, and hanging out with friends. While it was a little hectic at times, I learned useful time management strategies to help tame the craziness. I dedicated certain times for exclusively studying and if I knew there was an event or an obligation I had to fulfill, I learned to plan ahead to get work done. I also found it helpful to do a little bit of work each day and not wait to do it all on the weekend before class on Monday. Taking the Clark class certainly was fascinating and gave me a sneak peek into what a college class is like in addition to indirectly teaching me how to manage school and my life outside the classroom.
Taking a gap year at Dynamy was one of the smartest decisions I’ve made. I’ve developed a better understanding of the workforce, myself, and has helped me transition into the college experience. Dynamy’s program allowed me to grow academically, socially, and professionally. With these newfound skills, I am equipped to successfully embark on the college experience and whatever else lies ahead in my future.

My time at Dynamy, working at my internship and just in my apartment, was an amazing opportunity to get a taste of real world life of working a 9 to 5 and managing my life in the apartment. I would highly recommend this to anyone. Though I would also mention that since they do a really good job of portraying real life responsibilities and consequences, that it can be quite frustrating and stressful at times. In my time at Dynamy I was able to cook and clean for myself and house mates and get some amazing experience in the professional work environment.

My son enjoyed the Dynamy experience very much and definitely benefited from his year there. He loved the independent living experience, the staff and other students. He felt supported by the staff and was always very comfortable there. I can't think of a better step out of high school for him, especially given that he is not likely to be attending college.

Many parents we talked to felt that a gap year program would be a great help for their teenagers. Schools seem to be encouraging a gap year as a chance to help young people mature before college. Yet there still seems to be a stigma about actually doing a program like this. For us, there was no doubt that a gap year was the right thing and Dynamy was a tremendous help in making it work well.
Our son was not at all sure he wanted to do a gap year and he was somewhat resistant to the program, but the folks at Dynamy could not have been more supportive, helping him to figure out what he wanted to do and encouraging him to find his own motivation for it.
He's in college now and is doing well. The year was a year of maturing and figuring out what he really wants to do with his life. It was invaluable.

From a parent perspective, the initial interview and subsequent parent gatherings were very interesting and informative. We felt our daughter was well supported and encouraged throughout the year. Our primary goal for our daughter during the internship year was to gain confidence in herself and this was accomplished beyond our expectations. The year provided her with focus and motivation to set goals as she took the next step beyond Dynamy. In addition, the opportunity to take a college course each trimester was fantastic. Our daughter started her freshman year in September with almost a full semester of credit.

Great program for young adults who aren't yet ready to decide on a college program and don't know what other path to take. Gives exposure to a variety of work options through internships (3 during the year), and gives a chance to live independently, manage a budget, and do some guided self-reflection. I can't say how helpful this program was for my son who went straight into a job after the program and has truly found his calling in life.

I'll tell you why Dynamy. I had a bumpy road all throughout high school due to personal issues I battled. I lost all confidence within myself and I needed to gain a new sense of self. Dynamy opened new doors for me and allowed me to grow in ways I never thought I could. I am happier and more confident in myself and Dynamy has a lot to do with the person I am today.