Program Reviews

I was unsure about Thinking Beyond Borders when I began the trip (I did the full 8 month program) as it was quite the undertaking for me just graduating from high school. I now look back at it as the best, hardest, and most fulfilling year of my life. It had its set of challenges (language, separation from family, etc) but since you travel with the same group the whole time you develop a connection to the others.They become your family that helps you through anything you need. I believe I learned more in that year alone about myself and the world than I learned in two years at UNC(colorado).

If you are looking for an experience that will shake you to your core and leave you with a fresh perspective on just about everything, Thinking Beyond Borders is the right gap year for you. TBB isn't the euro trip where your time is spent in museums and clubs. It isn't for the faint of heart, and it isn't for anyone who isn't willing to rise to a challenge.

Taking a gap year with TBB will reshape your view of yourself, the world, and of the core assumptions you've always been taught to be true. By matching rigorous (not mandatory) curriculum and discussion with every day experience, there is no way to avoid some serious critical thinking. The day to day "ordinary" experiences of this trip will teach you more about yourself and the human experience than any year sitting in a college classroom, trust me.

TBB is a difficult trip. It is long, exhausting, and it would be impossible for any group of leaders to offer 100% of the support any floundering eighteen year old needs while facing the harshest and most abject poverty they've ever witnessed. If you need to be coddled and given lots of individual attention, you won't like this trip very much. If you can get through the tough stuff, you will experience an extraordinary amount of personal growth, inspiration, and learning.

I would recommend taking a gap year with Thinking Beyond Borders for any individual that is willing to take on a life changing challenge. There will not be one boring day the entire length of the trip. Excitement, adventure, challenge: Thinking Beyond Borders.

From the Program's orientation in Mindo to the final week in Washington, DC, I always felt like I was engaged in something important. TBB's fusing of academics and culture opened the door for growth.

Thinking Beyond Borders was exactly the kind of program that I was looking for after high school. Each day consisted of a combination of working with the community that we were staying in, having seminars where we discussed an international issue that tied into the work we were doing in the community, and developing media projects that explain a certain aspect of that international issue and its importance. No matter what I was doing, I was always learning. I was exposed to cultures far different from my own, and I bonded with people within my group from other parts of the country as well as abroad. My assumptions about the world drastically changed. I came into the program believing that I have a minimal impact on the world and that it would be hopeless for me to institute any noticeable change. Now, I see myself as a "proactive agent of change", which is the purpose of Thinking Beyond Borders. I now see that my actions do have an impact on the world, whether it be large or small.
I was put outside my comfort zone numerous times, often feeling as if I was a lone foreigner in a huge country whose customs are vastly different from my own, but as I look back on my experience, I realize that I grew the most from living in the countries that I had the most struggles dealing with.
I highly recommend this program for post high school graduates who want a change of pace to see the world and understand it better. The program has even affected my experience in college, for I am more active and interested in my classes than I would have been had I not taken a gap year and done this program.

Thinking Beyond Borders (TBB) was an excellent experience and was one of the best experiences I've had. One of the best parts of TBB was getting to live with home stay families because it really allows you to understand the daily life of the people from the culture. It also challenges your thoughts on your own culture and on what is normal. TBB also taught me a lot about development and the complications of a global society. While learning a lot and challenging your assumptions, you also get to have a once in a lifetime experience. Traveling to incredibly awesome places and seeing things that you would never be able to see at your home town. TBB was a great experience, and I would highly recommend it to anyone!

Thinking Beyond Borders was one of the most powerful experiences I've encountered in my life. There hasn't been a moment since I've returned back to the United States that I have regretted my decision to take a global gap year with TBB.

While on TBB, I was challenged immensely to question the "norms" I had accepted in my daily life as an American. Before going on the trip, I expected to experience cultural disconnects with the communities we visited; however I was not expecting to learn so much more about the diversity and differences that we, the students, had by simply coming from all across the country.

On a daily basis, we experienced the extraordinary. I learned Spanish, how to farm, how to teach, how to learn, how to question my own assumptions, how to value diversity... Ultimately, I learned how I want to live my life--it has influenced who I am today, what my area of study is in college, and the organizations I have chosen to pursue back in the United States. TBB changed everything for me.

If you have the opportunity to participate in Thinking Beyond Borders, without a doubt, do it. The trip itself is rigorous and challenging; the growth one experiences is immense. TBB is in no way easy. However the rewards are vast and endless. Thinking Beyond Borders is one of the BEST investments you can make in your life! DO IT!

An incredibly productive and character building program that pushed us intellectually while still being FUN. I cannot picture myself having done anything different and will cherish the lessons and experiences my whole life.

The day to day experience on Thinking Beyond Borders' Global Gap year varies depended on which country/unit we were in. However, whether it was planting trees in Ecuador or visiting patients in South Africa, there was always something to learn and gain from each day. I learned patience and flexibility, humility and compassion. I learned to live simply, to be grateful, to make my life full, and to love people. And even when I was exhausted, homesick, or just feeling miserable, I still gained so much from my experience on TBB. I am still learning from my time traveling--when I hear about China, Cambodia, India, or other countries we visited, I am immediately flooded with memories. Even the less exciting memories have a certain sweetness to them. Because during my time on TBB, I had the opportunity to be introspective while seeing the world around me. I was able to consider my values, motivations, passions; simultaneously because of the travel we did, I was forced to see the vastness of the human experience.
TBB changed my life completely! I am a better person for having this experience, and it continues to have an impact on me. Reflecting on my travels with TBB constantly grounds me and reminds me of who I am. It is absolutely worth it!