Seguinland Institute: The Good Life Gap Year Reviews

I loved my time at Seguinland. The setting is beautiful, the programming is thought-provoking and engaging, and the community is incredible. I cannot recommend it enough. Truly creative and experiential learning. I have made life-long connections and grew dramatically as a person because of Seguinland. My cohort feels like family and we still talk regularly. Be prepared to slow down and dig into big questions. Would not recommend if you cannot live without your phone. (Also as a bonus, the food is amazing.)

My gap semester at Seguinland gave me so many new experiences and perspectives, and was an incredibly worthwhile way to spend my fall. It fostered my curiosity about the world around me, broadened my exposure to art and media, and gave me opportunities to try new things that I wouldn't have otherwise (including outdoor adventures and a variety of day trips to the local area with activities ranging from touring an oyster farm to having a hawk land on my arm to making apple cider).

One of the things that sticks out to me most about my time at Seguinland is the community of people I was surrounded by and the connections I made with them. Living together, learning together, and adventuring together really did forge bonds among us and created a unique and interconnected ecosystem of people who I felt excited to be around and learn from. My peers inspired me in a number of ways, but I think the biggest thing was how joyous they made each daily experience.

Another of the most memorable parts of my fall experience was the beautiful natural landscape we were in and the many opportunities we had to explore it. Seguinland gave me more of an appreciation for the magic and necessity of nature, and also helped me feel more confident exploring the world on my own, which I think is a very valuable takeaway that will stick with me and keep improving my life long after leaving Seguinland.

My time at Seguinland is something that I treasure and find heartwarming to look back on. I recommend the program to anyone who wants to take a step back, gain some perspective, and re-center themselves and their priorities before entering the next phase of their life.

Seguinland Institute is a great gap semester program for anyone who is interested in nature and exploring big questions about life! It almost felt like a nature retreat mixed with philosophy, English, and art classes. My favorite part of the program was the mindfulness aspect - doing yoga in a treehouse surrounded by nature is truly magical! It’s a great program for anyone looking to take a break from the daily pressures of technology and life in general and take time to figure out what a “good life” looks like to you.

Describing Seguinland to someone who’s never been is comparable to describing neuroscience; incredibly difficult. The real truth is that you don’t know until you are able to come and experience this incredible program for yourself. But if I had to try, I’d describe the community you build above all else. Sure, the instructors are good, great even, but the community you cultivate with your fellow peers is one of a kind. I’m not sure how I got to lucky to meet such wonderful people, but Seguinland was truly the environment that fostered these friendships. By emphasizing the importance of intentional community and connection with your fellow humans, it allowed me to reach beyond myself and build friendships that I have no doubt will last a lifetime. And for that I am forever grateful and will always give that aspect a 10/10 rating. I’ve found my forever friends that see right to the heart of me.

When I picked out a gap year program, I had one primary goal: avoid burnout. So I perused the programs available and narrowed them down until I found one that spoke to me. I love the East coast, and I love nature, so Maine just made sense. I went in ready for ten weeks of frolicking in the forest, which I got, but I left with a little more than that. I left with a whole lot of awesome, and I mean AWE-some memories, the kinds of memories that I’ll keep remembering maybe forever. I left with a new appreciation for nature and healthy living, and dare I say, a renewed respect for education. And at the risk of being a massive cheese-ball, I left with some really great friends. Obviously, your experience isn’t going to be like mine. You’ll probably do some of the same stuff, but why spoil it? Have your own experience, make your own memories, and leave your own online review. Go get ‘em, tiger!

:)

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.

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 :)

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.

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.

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.