Program Reviews

Thinking Beyond Borders was an incredible opportunity to be humbled and awed by the beauty this world has to offer. My learning process with TBB was deeply personal and was nourished through a curriculum that is both flexible and democratic. Whatever ways people learn best is accommodated to every learner or traveler. I was a little nervous traveling the world as gay, but the TBB program leaders, US staff, and my fellow students gave me support I needed to feel safe and proud of myself. So don't worry about any part of yourself holding you back from experiencing this gap year with intention!

I had known that I wanted to take a gap year for quite some time when I came across Thinking Beyond Borders. I was a bit burnt out from school, and I was also hoping to learn more about myself and the world as a whole. I did not really enter TBB with many expectations as I am not a huge fan of them, but the program ended up being more than I could possibly have imagined. Looking through the website, the amount of countries covered initially jumped out at me above everything else, but I came to the quick realization that the travel aspect hardly skimmed the surface as to what was to come. Do not get me wrong, the travelling was great and absolutely eye-opening. I lived with an indigenous community in Ecuador, I hiked Machu Picchu, I saw the lantern festival in Thailand, I farmed rice with my host family, I walked through the killing fields in Cambodia, I taught in schools in India, I jumped off of a bridge in South Africa, I most definitely experienced the world. The travelling was great, but that coupled with the individuals that I travelled with and the in depth discussions we had together made the program incredible. During our seminars eyes were opened and perspectives were changed. Everyone always had the opportunity to share their ideas, thoughts, and questions with the entire group; people brought up ideas that had never even crossed my mind before. We were pushed to think deeply and in completely different ways day after day. The program staff always emphasizes that this is our program, so we have a say in what we do. They take our input seriously if we want changes in the curriculum or in the work experience or in the homestays. They have a rough guideline as to what we should be doing, but we stray from it over and over to our benefit. It is also important to know that everything is optional; not once were we forced into doing something we were not up for or comfortable doing (all about consent culture). During this gap year I not only learned about environmental problems, sustainable agriculture, problems in the educational system, and healthcare, but I also learned how to question authority, how to be my own source of truth, how to be part of a community, and how to be who I am as an individual.

Morra; Namaste; Savadi-krap; buenas dias.

Life begins at the edge of your comfort zone and this is where personal growth accelerates the most. Going abroad with people you don't know, going to countries that you are not familiar with and learning about things you have never heard about will give you a broad perspective of life and change you for sure.

Thinking Beyond Borders is a gap year for anybody. If you love beautiful places, getting to form close relationships with other people, and are interested in other cultures, then TBB is the gap year for you. The type of traveling you get to do with TBB is amazing because you get access to things I don't think I could traveling alone or with friends. Staying in home stays was my favorite part of the program as you get to become close with people you wouldn't have known otherwise. TBB provides an excellent academic portion of the program that you can choose to use how you like, I suggest taking advantage of the eye opening readings and seminars they have prepared. Along with that the access to fun activities is fantastic, my personal favorite being "Africanyon" a canyoning adventure we did in South Africa repelling down waterfalls and jumping off rocks in a canyon river. I don't feel like I missed out on anything not going to college as I gained so many amazing experiences, and now know what I want to study and where I want to go!

Thinking Beyond Borders was an incredible experience and a decision I am very glad I made. The program is one of informal learning through seminars, experiential activities, and travel. The academic portion of the trip is focused on the question, "What is development?", which was then framed within the contexts of global issues such as education, the health system, sustainable agriculture, and the environment. As students we were able to do as much learning as we wanted to for ourselves; readings, seminars, and activities are provided, but everything is optional (though the more you do the more you gain!!), so you really have control over your experience in that way. We got to live with host families in incredibly diverse locations and were able to really get to know the communities we lived with as we were there for 4-6 weeks. Beyond the academic portion of the trip, there were enrichment weeks filled with fun activities and "touristy" things (i.e. the Taj Mahal, Macchu Picchu, bungee jumping, exploring new cities, etc.). Overall it was a wonderful experience that cannot be rivaled by classroom learning. If you want to push yourself emotionally, academically, socially, and physically you should absolutely take part in TBB. It's not always easy, but you have support systems through the program itself, as well as in your peers -- the relationships I built on my gap year are deeper than any I've ever had and have taught me so much -- so do it!! You'll grow and hold a unique education that will assist you in whatever you choose to do next.

Thinking Beyond Borders was more than just a gap year where you got to travel the world. It is not a gap year where you get to just travel about the world but you get to do deep exploring of the world and of yourself. You get to join a community of people who also want to change the world but that will also become a family over the seven months together. You learn so much that you would never think possible and it is such a good experience to have before college. We got to live with host families, which is sometimes difficult, but in my opinion one of the best ways to experience a culture! Being away from family for so long right after high school can be hard but living with another family in a way can alleviate that homesickness. TBB was a once in a lifetime experience that I would recommend to anyone who is looking to learn about the world, about their place in the world, and just about themselves in general. It does that and a lot more if you are willing to let it!

I can't express how lucky I feel to have participated in TBB. I learned so many valuable lessons and had so many incredible experiences that I will never forget. Thinking Beyond Borders is a Gap Year program with a purpose and I would recommend it to anyone!

Putting our barely 18 year old daughter on a plane to South America, knowing we'd not see her for 13 weeks and knowing she was going to encounter some very challenging situations, was nerve-wracking. Yet TBB exceeded expectations, providing her with a transformative educational experience. No college course could compare. The program is experiential learning at its best. The home-stays were safe and supportive; the service projects were compelling; the seminars were challenging; the program director and leaders were always communicative. Our child has grown immeasurably. We will always be grateful to TBB, and look forward to having our younger children share in the TBB experience when they are ready to graduate from high school.

It's difficult to put my TBB experience into words, but I'll start off by saying it was (as cliche as it sounds) amazing. I felt that I was constantly being challenged to step out of my comfort zone and think in new ways, and as a result, I feel that I grew enormously over the course of the trip. After studying development, sustainable agriculture, and education in depth, I think I am far more prepared to play the role of an active, responsible, and compassionate global citizen. My parents and I agree that this was a very wise investment in my overall education. I can't imagine not having done this program.

There is not much I can say, except that I had the most wonderful, enriching, mind-widening, and rememberable 3 months of my life. Not only was I able to dive into new cultures and become parts of 2 wonderful families, but also learned the importance of asking questions and got inspirated by seminars about education und sustainable agriculture. This program definitly covers all spectrums you would want a gap year program to cover and can make you gap year meaningful!