Seguinland Institute: The Good Life Gap Year Reviews

very fun program in a beautiful town in coastal maine, provided a wonderful supplement to the end of my final year of high school! i really enjoyed the scenic location and the opportunities to become involved in the community during my time there. the housing is very nice, as is the food, students are involved in preparing the food and are encouraged to bring a family recipe to share, leading to a wonderfully diverse menu over the course of the program! tons of amazing people, both in the staff and the students of my cohort, truly an amazing experience!

I love Seguinland! When I came to Maine, I was feeling burnt out, uninspired, and exhausted. Everything about this experience was exactly what I needed. The classes inspired me to start thinking bigger and bolder about how to live, the activities were new and exciting, and the lifestyle was fresh and revitalizing. This isn’t to say it was easy, but every challenge I faced was one that pushed me to grow in ways I haven’t experienced in any other scenario. The staff was the most supportive while still giving me room to grow from challenges. My fellow students were some of the kindest, funniest, and most genuine people I’ve ever met, and they are a big part of what made this experience special. My favorite memories include a 3 am hike, spotting 7 bald eagles on a boat ride, making food with foraged ingredients, candlelit mindfulness, town days, late night chats in the cabins, and lots and lots of bananagrams! I’m so grateful to have found this program that I know will have a lasting impact on my life.

Ahh, Seguinland, my favorite place in the world!! Wintering was the second program I did with them because one trip around Back River Bend just wasn't enough!
The Wintering retreat consists of three weeks of writing, rewriting, community building, laughing, and adventuring. From dog sledding to visiting the Maine Botanical Gardens, inspiration for our prose was around every corner. When we weren't buried in our work, us students were making friendship bracelets, sharing stories from our past, and singing Tom Petty in the cottages. A purposeful choice to keep technology away in group settings helps facilitate amazing memories.
If you are a writer, come to Wintering. If you want to become a writer, come to Wintering. If you want to explore a quiet, slower way of life tucked away on the coast of Maine, come to Wintering. If you want to make memories to last a lifetime, come to Wintering. I promise it'll be the best decision you'll make.

My experience at Seguinland has been nothing short of a dream. While at times it was incredibly difficult, I always felt held and supported by the community here. Everyone conducts themselves with generosity and vulnerability in mind. Everyday was an adventure, a local one like exploring the Dawnland Trail, or my day of solitude, or a big one like hiking Cadillac Mountain to see the sunrise. My favorite part of this semester was the art class with Marsha- everyday we explored a new form of creativity and her emphasis on process over product made it a welcoming, expressive, and fun space for everyone. I will always remember the joy and wonder I found here in people, places, and art.

This was my third time going to a Seguinland program. They do a good job at changing the atmosphere of the program on all levels to match the season. We did vibrant, deep, and joyous activities to celebrate and dive deeper into the season. I completed many creative projects which were enriching and healing. I got to better know the staff and their families as well as do new things despite of being my third time. In many ways, the experience of the third program was just as if not more life changing than the others. It was a very unique program and the connections and memories I’ve made with both students and staff are invaluable.

It has been 10 months since the Wintering 2023 program at Seguinland, and I find myself thinking often about how truly grateful I am for the experience & the ways I grew from it (especially by learning to tap into intuitive awe and wonder). Beyond finding a new sense of grounding in my identity as a writer and poet (thank you, Jenny and Hallie!), the open-hearted, curious, and welcoming community at Seguinland has already become a blueprint for communities I've found in the past 10 months & those I hope to find in the future.

I am endlessly thankful for the ways in which my time "Wintering" in Maine has seeped into my life beyond Seguinland.

Nestled on an island on the coast of Maine, covered in beautiful landscapes of tree, surrounded by marshes. Seguinland's programs introduce a new sense of academics while allowing opportunities to find new ways to be objective about life. As a returning alumni, I was more than excited to come back and participate in this new program. The Wintering program leans into winter while simultaneously allowing you to find your narrative through experiential learning. Throughout the program, I had the time to engage in sourcing my narrative and understanding its importance. In just a short amount of time, I began to grow a strong love for writing and have continued it even after months of the program's exit.

My newfound love of writing was inspired by leaning into the winter but also through the support of the staff. The love and support that comes from Seguinland's staff grows only stronger when I've returned. I have yet to find a community that is more loving and accepting than this one.

What's even better is the friendships I've made over the years and continue to make throughout the programs. From cooking, rooming, and learning with others the friendships I've built can last an entire lifetime.

To Philip, Jenny, Halle, and all the staff who helped create this community, thank you ♡.

Much love,

M

Every senior in my high school needed to partake in an internship to graduate. After 13 stressful years of intense and rigorous education, I needed a moment to ground myself. That's exactly what Seguin helped me do. From the first moment at the airport, I was surrounded by this wonderful feeling of love and community. The friendships I made there and everything I learned Seguin has changed me and guided me into becoming the best version of myself. Seguin is a place that lives outside the modern pressures of space and time. Im forever grateful for that experience.

Among the white pines and the laughter and the biggest sky you will ever know, Seguinland lies in the heart of a world so beautifully far from the one most of us live in today. It is a place where you can let go of everything you have ever wanted to, and where that freedom is encouraged in order to make room for the new ideas you will create and discover yourself. I found a stillness inside me that I didn't realize I was missing, that felt like it was handed to me by the trees right outside my bedroom window. We woke up with the sun and fell asleep to the crickets. There was singing and tea-brewing and walking barefoot on the forest floor with our eyes closed, but above it all, there was just being. I lived fully. And I felt so incredibly loved during my 4 weeks there. It was easy to commit myself to finding The Good Life, with a family of strangers around me taking the same leaps I was, even if in vastly different ways. I made friends that I will never forget, and who walk beside me every day, whether near or far - because it was them who I opened my eyes with. Who I jumped into deep Atlantic waters with, and who know, like me, what an unforgettably real journey we began together.

Among the white pines and the laughter and the biggest sky you will ever know, Seguinland lies in the heart of a world so beautifully far from the one most of us live in today. It is a place where you can let go of everything you have been wanting to, and where that freedom is encouraged in order to make room for the new ideas you will create and discover yourself. I found a stillness inside me that I didn't realize I was missing, that felt like it was handed to me by the trees right outside my bedroom window. There was singing and tea-brewing and walking barefoot on the forest floor with our eyes closed, but above it all, there was just being. I lived fully. And I felt so incredibly loved during my 4 weeks there. It was easy to commit myself to finding The Good Life, with a family of strangers around me taking the same leaps I was, even if in vastly different ways. I made friends that I will never forget, and who walk beside me every day, whether near or far, because it was them who I opened my eyes with. Who I jumped into deep Atlantic waters with, and who know, like me, what an unforgettably real journey we began together.