Program Reviews

I met some amazing people and I have memories I can keep for a lifetime and friends I will have for a long time. I loved my time all over Spain I’ve traveled to more places in 3 months than I think I ever will. The weekend trips were beautiful and I can’t wait to come back to Spain and use my new Spanish skills. The food great the culture and architecture is wonderful. My host moms were lovely all the new places in Spain were different and so fun. I hope the next group has as much fun as I did and makes new friends

Genuinely I loved being part of this SGY for the past 3 months. there were so many ups and down and lessons learned that I couldnt have had without this oportunity. in the end, I am so grateful for everything I have experienced. Big shout out to the support, specifically Lily Tahara was there the whole entire time. I have felt safe and helped every step of the time. Some highlights was my first host family in San Sebastian, my favorite city. Abuela talked to me everyday, sharing stories of her immigration to Spain while I enjoyed her food. I also really enjoyed taking public transit in Madrid, navigating my route to the spanish classes. Lastly, being in Barcelona and falling in love with what Barcelona has to offer, food, culture, community, and opportunity.

This gap year was my first time away from home at age 18. Where all of my friends were going to college within a short car drive or plane drive away from home and got to visit their family on school breaks, I went thousands of miles away from the family that I've never spent more than a week without. While I was super scared, this gap year helped me grow in my independence and confidence, teaching me that I am capable of being on my own, figuring out how to travel on my own, and spend time with myself.

Our son found the Future Leaders Program when he decided to take a gap semester after his first semester of college. Spanish Gap Year checked all the boxes we were looking for, offering an experience that had both the cultural component and the structure from which to keep building on the skills he was learning in college. Future Leaders offered the chance to continue learning challenging subjects (Spanish and business concepts), exposed him to two different cities, and also had independent dorm living in the second half so he could continue the independence he started in college. The program staff were incredible. Overall, the program exceeded our expectations and we would recommend it to anyone!

We were hesitant about sending our daughter so far away to "reset" herself. High school wasn't a successful four years and we desperately something for her to believe in her abilities again.

Wow....did this program do that! The closeness of the group and support from the organization turned our daughter around. She loved the adventure and thrived both personally and professionally. The communication from the team was super. I reached out whenever I needed anything, and they were quick to respond. Who won't regret this adventure for your child or yourself.

Our son, who is a junior at a large east coast US university, decided to take a GAP semester to gain life and real-world work experience. After meeting with a consultant at Gap Year Solutions, he was able to learn about a number of different GAP options in different countries. After careful deliberation, he chose The Spanish Gap Year Future Leaders Entrepreneurship program. He had an amazing experience with this program and gained more self-confidence, especially by navigating through a foreign country. He really loved the Spanish culture, and totally benefited from the entrepreneurial activities/projects and mentoring offered by the Program. I visited him in Barcelona, and I was really impressed with the housing (clean, safe, and excellent amenities). He spoke very highly he quality of work given to him at his internship (Lean Mail) and really liked his boss. The Program's mentors and group activities were also top-notch (fun and enriching). He now feels inspired to return to school with renewed enthusiasm and has very valuable experience to put on his resume, not to mention wonderful memories!

My main goal going into this program was to improve my Spanish, and I was definitely successful with that, however you have to be intentional in ensuring that you are placed in a Spanish speaking internship, take advantage of extra Spanish classes, etc. Sagri and Maryam were very helpful, kind, and proactive, however the program’s instructions could be unclear at times. I personally had a fantastic time, but I think that you have to be self-driven to get the most out of it. Spain is a beautiful country, and it was a pleasure to spend 3 months here. The program has definitely opened my eyes to a new culture, and provided a good environment to grow as a person.

I had a great time living and learning in Barcelona and Madrid through this program. I would say this program and your time here is 100% what you make of it. The program gives an excellent structure and basis for learning language, interning, and engaging in social/cultural activities, but it is up to you as a gapper to engage and expand on the opportunities this program provides. Get out there— sign up for more tours, more language lessons (in Barcelona the focus switches to primarily entrepreneurship), travel on the weekends, network— meet other students who are out and about; you’ll make meaningful connections, progressional and personal.

I thought this program was really amazing for what it is. I think there should absolutely be more programming in Barcelona. The only complaint I have with this program is I felt like we kinda of got left out on our own in Barcelona. That’s okay for some things, but we had no tours, no cultural activities, minimal interaction with anyone from the Spanish gap year team, and very little opportunity for Spanish lessons. It kind of just felt like I was living in Barcelona on my own. Now that’s okay, but I feel like if I had just wanted to do that, I wouldn’t have signed up for a program. That being said, I still had an incredible experience and specifically my month in Madrid is something I’ll never forget my whole life. This has been an incredible experience for me and I’m so grateful for these 3 months.

I participated in Spanish Gap Year's Future Leaders program in the fall of 2024 and I had the most amazing experience.

We started out in Madrid for the first 4 weeks and stayed with a host family. While in Madrid we took Spanish classes at Tandem. Tandem is so amazing and I had the absolute best time there.

For the last 8 weeks we stayed in Barcelona and had internships. Barcelona is so beautiful and fun to explore so there was never a dull moment.

If I could, I would do this program all over again.