Seguinland Institute: The Good Life Gap Year Reviews

My time at Seguinland was life-changing and has helped shape me into the person that I am. In a society of disconnection, it was so special to be given a space to step away from technology, immerse in the beautiful nature of Maine, and experience life wholeheartedly. I felt that the experiences offered were well-rounded and gave access to so many inspiring perspectives that reinvigorated my natural curiosity and creativity.

It was easy to feel at home with the amazingly supportive staff. I greatly appreciated their personalization of the program, remaining flexible and catering to the individuality of the cohort and its members. It was obvious that the staff cared deeply about the experience of each student. Above all, the program's emphasis on community was so unique and resulted in the close-knit sense of a chosen family. Together, we made the most wonderful of memories that I will carry with me throughout my life. The connections I made will be lifelong!

I highly recommend this program!

My third time being a part of this wondrous community, and I am still as grateful, if not more, for the experiences and connections made. Words cannot encapsulate the feeling of being surrounded by the most grounded community each day. Our day trips to places like Portland and Waterville truly expanded my conception of street art and what it means to be part of a community. Likewise, all of our experiences at local farms introduced me to the world of sustainable agriculture & how food supports its communities. Though these are only a handful of my takeaways, my gratitude is never ending for all the staff who always turn out becoming family at the end of the day.

So appreciative of Philip, Elin, Matt, and Ida, Marsha, and Katie who constructed such a profound and elating experience. During the May term I experienced the utmost love and kindness from the May term alum and staff.

I’ve never valued food, community, and learning more like I did during the program. There were so many opportunities to stretch my thinking about the external world as well as my internal world.

Getting to experience Seguinland not one, not twice, but three times has completely changed me and a thank you will never be enough. Thank you Seguinland staff, the love I have for Seguinland goes beyond these words.

-M

There are so many things that make this place special! Whether it's the vibe crew, the foraged feast, or just the love and support that lies in the air!! Going to Seguinland was honestly a super important step in my life and I grew and learned so much! Thank you for everything! I also made friends for life! I don't think I have ever been this present in my life! I did not even think about my phone. I was just living in the moment enjoying all these amazing experiences we were allowed to experience!

I loved my time at Seguinland Institute. I made so many great friends and was exposed to so many new experiences. I loved the focus on building community and working together in everything we did. We did a lot of outdoor excursions such as hiking and camping which were super fun and memorable. Our classes had a good balance of readings, discussions, and experiential learning opportunities. I learned a lot about myself and how I relate to the world around me as well as what elements make up a good life. I hope to carry these new insights with me into the future.

I have never had an experience remotely like being at Seguinland Institute. The most valuable thing that this program gave me is relationships that changed my understanding of how people can interact with and love each other. The immersion in nature, lack of phone and substance use, and environment that the staff cultivates through guidance and activities allowed me to focus intensely on what is truly important to me. It also encouraged everybody to be curious about one another in a way that is really difficult to find in highschool or college. This curiosity is what I think created such profound friendships at Seguinland Institute. I also discovered a connection to nature within myself that I had not previously known existed.

The Seguinland experience is unlike anything I’ve done before. I really don’t consider myself a nature person, yet all of the programming was made so accessible and interesting to me. I’m so thankful for all the memories made and lessons learned at Seguinland’s wintering term. The size of the group was intimate enough to learn everyone’s stories and develop personal relationships with staff, yet large enough to feel like a community. I applied to the wintering term at the very last minute, and am so grateful to Philip and the team for their kindness and flexibility.

I had an amazing overall experience at Seguinland Institute in January of 2024 with the Wintering Good life program. Seguinland Institute provided a variety of experiences, both inside and outside of the classroom, such as writers workshops, engaging classes, ice fishing, and cross country skiing. The staff were very supportive, and the experiences were life-changing. The food was amazing, and the experiences were set up in a way that we could get to know new people throughout the 3 weeks we were there.

My time with the Seguinland Institute over the last few months was absolutely life changing. The program helped me to achieve a greater passion for life as well as the importance of community building. The program helped me to make friends and build skills to last a lifetime and I will be forever grateful for the fantastic staff there to help support and guide me along the way. Having the opportunity to adventure around the coast of Maine while learning about pressing issues of our time and ways we can work towards improving our own lives is an opportunity I would not pass up on.

My time at Seguinland was truly priceless and a major turning point in my life. I initially thought that approaching the concept of living a good life in a two month gap year program wouldn’t work as well as advertised, but to my surprise I came out of it with an entirely new mindset. Being immersed in nature on the coast of Maine is a much needed change of pace and the perfect place to reevaluate what you want your life to look like. Having lectures from inspiring, thought-provoking teachers and being able to talk about my takeaways with kids my age made for an engaging and insightful academic experience. To this day I still think about the experimental approaches and ideas surrounding the art making process that were shared with me towards the end of the program. Most importantly what makes Seguinland so special is the people. The kids I met there are some of the best friends I’ve ever made. The community we created was so genuine and loving, which is an intentional result of the designed environment we were in. My experience here was utter bliss and I cannot recommend it enough.