Why did you choose this program?
I chose this program on the recommendation of a friend. I was looking for a way to continue learning and growing during my gap year in preparation for my next steps. I found that of similar type programs, Seguinland felt the most dedicated of the analogous programs to creating an environment that was fun, but nonetheless focused on learning and asking big questions. It also, for me, stood out as a program because it didn't take student's phones. While that sounds small, it was a good indication of how Seguinland interacts with its students. It encourages and models ways of thinking about how we live, but ultimately treats students as adults who can find ways to enact the principles of the program in their cottages (essentially dorms with other students) and lives.
What did your program provider (or university) assist you with, and what did you have to organize on your own?
Once I was on site, Seguinland took care of everything, including meals. The only part I had to organize on my own was getting to campus. While I drove, they also did have a few vans picking up students who flew into Portland Airport. While there was plenty of student input and collaboration, there was minimal organizing needed from the students on any given day.
What is one piece of advice you'd give to someone going on your program?
I would tell advise a student to fully embrace the low technology environment. While Seguinland lets students decide with their cottage-mates what their technology level in the cottages will be (phones and, with some exceptions, laptops, are not permitted outside of the cottages), Seguinland is such a unique time where there is very little to constantly be using screens. Personally, limiting screen use to occasionally keeping in touch with family and friends off campus really helped me to connect with my cottage-mates and delve deep into the projects and readings of our classes.
What does an average day/week look like as a participant of this program?
During the week, there is usually a class session in the morning and afternoon, with a break for lunch with your cottages in the middle. Later in the afternoon there is typically a smaller event on campus which is most of the time optional (swimming, kayaking, etc.). Then, depending on your dinner assignment for the day (Cooking, cleaning, decor), students have some free time and then head to their assignments.
Saturdays typically featured a bigger excursion such as a hike or visiting a nearby town. The staff was pretty committed to keeping Sunday open for students as a free day to rest at the end of the week. On most Sundays the staff would give students a lift into the nearest town (Bath) if they wanted to buy anything (any urgent needs staff could buy for students during the week) or just get off campus for a little.
By the program's nature this schedule could switch around a bit, especially with longer camping trips or excursions during the week, but this was the typical schedule.
Going into your experience abroad, what was your biggest fear, and how did you overcome it? How did your views on the issue change?
Certainly my biggest fear going in was how much whether I would relate to the other students at the program. While the program itself sounded like a great fit, and I've always been interested in nature and philosophy, I was unsure of what other type of students the program would attract. I was glad to see when I arrived that the staff had been very careful in creating a cohort of many different students. There were a few 'crunchy' outdoors students that I had expected, but also people drawn to the program from many different angles (Food & agriculture, environmental studies, the arts, mindfulness, etc.), and some for whom the outdoors focus was a new challenge. I also found that the cottage system provided me a small built-in group of people that I could always feel comfortable and at home with as we made friends throughout the ~20 person cohort. Our cohort still gets together on Zoom (and when we're nearby; in person) to catch up and see each other and I am lucky to have started dating my girlfriend at Seguinland. The many new people that I was worried would be a challenge to meet have ended up being big parts of my life in the last three years.
"How has your experience affected you since finishing the program?"
My time at Seguinland has affected my last three years in two main ways. First, Seguinland was important for crystallizing goals for my college years and beyond. Through both the formal curriculum and the many conversations I had with staff members (who have all lived varied and storied lives of their own), I developed a better sense of what excites me about my studies. At Hamilton I declared a double major in Sociology and Religious Studies thanks to these new insights. Continuing what I started at Seguinland, I have loved exploring how and why societies have tackled humanity's complex needs such as meaning and community, and will continue doing so in graduate school this year.
The second big effect was on my approach towards my education more generally. I was initially not thrilled to be taking a gap year as part of my felt that I was deviating from the path that my competitive high school and college environments laid out. But through my time at Seguinland, I came to be far more flexible to the 'setbacks' of life, and how they can be incredibly constructive when approached with the right mindset. Seguinland helped me to view education generally as more than just a building block for one's career, but as a source for self-improvement and challenging one's assumptions.
