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Seguinland Institute: The Good Life Gap Year

Why choose Seguinland Institute: The Good Life Gap Year?

Three-Time Winner of Award for Best Overall Gap Year Provider by GoOverseas (2020, 2022, 2023)! We create immersive, experiential programs for gap year and college students. Located on a 60-acre homestead peninsula in the coastal woodlands of Maine, our programs combine spacious reflection on questions of The Good Life, immersion in nature, mindfulness practice, the creative arts and a back-to-the-land ethos.

Students taking courses at Seguinland Institute receive college credit through the University of Maine at Farmington. Our grapplings with the big questions are honed by reading good books, paddling sturdy canoes, engaging in discussion, being grasped by awe and wonder, and getting our hands dirty in the garden.

We are a non-profit organization (501c3) founded in 2009.

Founded
2009

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.

Reviews

Default avatar
Grace
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

The life-changing kindnesses I found in peers and pine trees

Seguinland is a truly magical place, harboring the kindest, most vibrant community in a true haven of natural beauty.

It was such a great joy to spend the fall '24 semester living on the Back River, supported so thoughtfully by the amazing staff of Seguinland and a wonderful group of dedicated, engaged, and compassionate peers. The community was a hallmark of the Seguinland experience-- together we made a one-of-a-kind bond that I am so grateful I got the chance to experience in my lifetime.

The fluid experimental learning experiences crafted at Seguinland brought joy and wonder back into my academic life and artistic passions. Overall, Seguinland has completely changed my life, bringing so much light and curiosity with it. I could never hope to have found a more compassionate, open, and loving group of people to enter this new stage of life with than the community Seguinland fostered.

I could not recommend this program highly enough to anyone interested in community-building, the outdoors, and the pursuit of awe and wonder in small kindnesses and the great forests and waters of Maine.

Pros
  • Kind and supportive staff and peers
  • Immersion in the natural world
  • Experiential learning
Default avatar
colette
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

May term at Seguinland

May term of 2024 was my second experience at Seguinland and, as much as I thought it couldn't get better, it did. There is something unique about sharing such an isolated experience with 19 other people that creates long lasting, deep bonds in even 4 weeks. There is no better way, in my opinion, to take a step back from the hustle and bustle of college life and academics to remember what really matters, which is the depth and quality of your relationships. Cooking together, getting through a stomach bug together, traveling, gardening, creating, paddling, and singing together are all things I will remember for the rest of my life with this group. Forever grateful for my Seguinland family :)

What was your funniest moment?
Members of our cohort creating an extremely elaborate murder mystery night (I was not able to solve the mystery but had fun playing my character)
Default avatar
Amelia
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Wintering

I was a little anxious about going to the Wintering program because writing in school had always been stressful for me. I didn't expect that I would come to enjoy writing and genuinely look forward to our class sessions each day. Jenny, Hallie, and all the other staff and students created an incredibly supportive environment that encouraged me to step outside of my comfort zone, explore my interests, and enjoy the process of writing. Learning and being creative really bonded the group together, and I made incredible lasting friendships. I will never forget the adventures we went on together, including ice fishing, cross country skiing, dogsledding, and cold plunging, but for me, the everyday moments are my favorite to look back on. Yoga and mindfulness overlooking the icy salt marsh, writing and sipping hot chocolate by the fire place during a snowstorm, cozy group dinners in the cookhouse, and looking for animal tracks in the deep snow in the woods each day are some of my favorite memories.

Default avatar
Raimundo
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

The Warm Embrace of Community

Finishing out my (discontinuous) year at Seguinland, the May term was the perfect way to start my last summer before college. The focus was community building, and an eagerness to get to know each other was in the air the moment we all gathered on the lawn. I will never forget the first night, when a group of us (as many as we could comfortably fit in our cottage) gathered together and shared our, at times quite dramatic, life stories. Despite a brief illness going around in the first week, which the staff expertly handled, we all formed great bonds. From farm work, to murder mysteries, to the first annual pond productions, May term was filled with unforgettable moments. Getting to bring to life our cohort's Mad Farmer Award ceremony was an amazing display of how our unique talents can be used to celebrate our local community.
Despite this program being the end of my time at Seguinland, the connections I made allowed me to plan a trip, stopping to visit friends I made during my time there, all the way down home to Florida. Having built friendships that will last well beyond the end of my gap year is absolutely priceless to me, and I'm incredibly grateful for every student, faculty and staff member that joins Seguinland and makes the courageous decision to bring their whole self into every experience.

Default avatar
Raimundo
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Changed My Opinion of Winter

As a self-proclaimed hater of snow, I was anxious to experience winter in Maine. Thankfully, with the support of the incredible staff and the strong friendships made, I learned that I could not only survive, but thrive, in the snowy outdoors. Sharing warm meals, laughs while piecing together puzzles, and story-worthy night walks made daily highlights. One of my favorite moments was walking into my room on the first day only to hear my roommate playing a song that had been stuck in my head for a week.
From dog sledding, to ice fishing, to writing by the fire with a mug of hot cocoa in hand, every moment of Wintering felt unique and unforgettable. Despite all the exciting activities we had, like skiing at Sugarloaf, the part of the program I cherished most was getting to see my cohort open up and grow through their writing. Hearing everyone's unique voice and getting to see the world through their eyes, for just a brief moment, was truly the essence of Wintering for me.

Programs

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