Program Reviews

Deciding to take a gap year was not easy! But when I read Baret Scholars’ book, I fell in loooooove.

As I was finishing high school, I was unsure about what was gonna be my next step. I heard about Baret scholars and decided to try.

The next thing I knew was that I had so many cool people around me in the most surreal environments: in New York City, in the beach of Rio, in the streets of Marrakech, sharing experiences, ideas, and culture.

With all the things I’ve learned, the people I met, and the life I’ve collected, it feels like this gap year was so short I can’t understand how I ever doubted it. Do it !!!

If you are reading this, is because you are looking for an aventure for your life, and guess what, this might be your best chance.

My name is Bruno and I’m from Brazil 🇧🇷, and this program literally change my life forever, and I will explain to you why.

You know, wen you truly love someone, you don’t know how to explain it, it just feels impossible, wounds won’t be enough to explain it, so imagine this feeling but not with one person, but the whole world. Baret is an invitation for you to love the world, and not because you read it on a paper, or because some one told you how grateful the world is, is because you leaved on your on skin.

I can tell you that because when I was carrying a 20 liters gallon on my back in the Amazon, caring water to my boat so my friends can have water to drink, I was not questioning my existence, I was not thinking how bad is the world and how unfair the world is, I was just doing what needed to be done. And you wanna know what, I was loving it.

I was bringing that heavy gallon on my shoulder for 2 kilometers and a half, I was doing this in the middle of the Amazon, barefoot, at the dark, attentive because have animals and dogs around as, that could attack us at any minute. You will probably wont believe me, but I was having so much fun.

I now this circumstances are not usually what people called fun, but for me, it brought me fulfillment, because I was challenging my self while taking care of the people I just meet (that nowadays I call them family). But I was not doing it alone, I was helping the workers from the boat, that was there job to bring water for us, but I decided to help even though I didn't know the circumstances.

At Baret I leaned that in the end is not about you, is not about what makes you feel happy, is not about your self, is all about human connection. I think you will agree with me that most people now a days lost this human connection, so being able to really connect with people, specially the ones that you don't know, and serve them with thin any mater that you can possible offer, that can even be a simple smile, is all you really need to fell humans again.

And I guaranty you will fill amazed by that experience, you will not fell that you belong only at your home, you fell fell that you belong in the would. And the more you take care of others, and connect to new people, some hall you will discover more about your self in this process.

The would I not at bad as the media saws, be part of this jorney and geet to your on conclusion. Dont take my word for it hahah

A lot of love, Bruno

I think ultimately, with gap year programs in general, it comes down to what you make of it. For that reason, I would recommend thinking about what is most important to you and what soft skills and hard skills you want to acquire. For me, it was connecting with inspiring peers that really helped me step outside my comfort zone and grow, but for you, it might be something else.

The past year has been a truly unique experience for me, as it has brought together many people from all over the world. First of all, we were able to form deep friendships within our community with people who may live on the other side of the world. Secondly, during our morning program, we were able to talk to experts from various fields who kindly shared their knowledge with us. All you had to do was take the initiative and start asking questions. Thirdly, you had the opportunity to strike up conversations with people you met in bars or cafés and talk about all kinds of things. I came into contact with many new ideas and perspectives. For me, it was the beginning of a journey that leads to understanding the different needs and challenges that people in other parts of the world face and recognizing how everything is connected.

Being part of the very first Baret Scholars cohort was truly life-changing. Traveling across seven regions of the world with such an incredible group was much more than tourism—it was a constant journey of cultural, personal, and intellectual growth.

From the hotels to every single meal, everything exceeded my expectations: high quality, thoughtful, and always with a sense of care and respect for each place we visited. Living in community with curious, driven people who wanted to explore and make an impact was simply invaluable.

What stood out the most for me was being able to develop my own projects—ideas that were born in each city and transformed through mentorship, inspiring conversations, and collaboration with the community. I was able to raise funds with the support of the entire community

My Baret journey has been truly transformative. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine travelling to more than a dozen countries in less than a year, taking over 30+ flights, and, more importantly, learning directly from inspiring leaders and peers along the way. This experience has revealed a deeper sense of purpose and possibility within me; I returned not as the same Sangychetty, but as someone more confident, curious, and globally minded. Beyond travel, the program offered structured learning in the mornings and self-directed exploration in the afternoons, which allowed me to connect academic ideas to real-world settings. Whether it was learning about finance on Wall Street or seeing grassroots social enterprises in Kenya, every moment became a classroom.

Equally impactful was the community. Living, learning, and travelling with such a diverse cohort taught me the value of collaboration, empathy, and cultural fluency. I forged friendships that feel like family and mentors who continue to guide my personal and professional journey.

My biggest takeaway is the power of a global mindset: understanding how diverse communities face challenges, create solutions, and uplift one another. This has strengthened my commitment to use my skills and education to drive impact worldwide.

For anyone considering a similar experience, my advice is: embrace it fully. Stay curious, be open to unexpected opportunities, make time for reflection, and cherish the friendships you form along the way. The resources, exposure, and support you receive can help you not only discover the world but also discover yourself.

This year has been life-changing. No book could have taught me what I learned by living it. If you get the chance to embark on such a journey, don’t hesitate. It truly can be your “best year yet.”

Hello! I was a student in class of '25, the first cohort of the program and I was impressed by the quality of it. We stayed at the best hotels in all the "main" towns of the world, we got to connect with some of the best people in their fields and most importantly I got to relax, but also open an NGO that is directly changing people's lives, while being "on the road". They give you a lot of support with everything. I had an amazing counselor for "my life" and "my career", I had an amazing counselor for my STEM passion and I got my science poster reviewed and I also developed deep relationships with some of the staff in the program. This is, by far, the best start that you could get in your career and in your life. Your CV becomes incredibly good, you develop a better cultural sensitivity and can work with basically anyone, you understand how the world works, you relax, but you also get to apply at the top universities or open your own initiative/business. The morning programs are "a gate to excellence" and the afternoon options are a privilege given to you to deepen your knowledge in a field. I got to learn economy from Wall Street investors and exercise my Chinese skills directly with native speakers. I genuinely loved this program and I hope more people get to enjoy it <3

I knew Baret would change my life simply by the unique proposal the program has to its essence, however, I could have never predicted the lessons this gap year delivered. It went beyond finding independence, or meeting new cultures, to me Baret prompted a deeper understanding of myself and my role across the different relationships in my life, including my role in the world. Logistics, safety, housing, and other concerns were smooth, I would trust the team with it over and over again! Great experience.

There are infinite ways I could describe this program because there are infinite benefits I gained. This program is not just about travelling and seeing the world, but it is about learning from everything you experience and see. It is a program about asking questions and understanding why things are the way they are.

Baret Scholars gave me the opportunity and freedom to explore the things that interest me, but also to discover the unknown. I was able to pursue my passions of filmmaking in LA while discovering the secrets of the environment and indigenous communities in the Amazon rainforest. The possibilities were endless.

The best thing about this program is that you can be utterly confused about your future or have a plan for the next 10 years. You can find things that fit you because nothing is unreachable. This year can be a break where learn by living.

Not only does a door to opportunity open, but you will also meet and find the most amazing people. The Baret community brings together people from all over the world with a range of ideas and beliefs. You will have a life-changing conversation at breakfast and then be further blown away by the morning program.

The only thing you need for this year is the need for adventure and a lot of questions.

Even though I am writing this four months after Baret ended, I still have not processed all the incredible and wonderful experiences I’ve had during the journey.

From sleeping in hammocks in the Amazon rainforest, to climbing the Kilimanjaro, to celebrating Holi in India. These travels thought me so much about the world we live in and about myself. I really appreciated the freedom and guidance we were given during Baret and it definitely helped me with my uni decision. The thing I am most grateful for are the Friends I made along the way. Baret introduced me to the most amazing people and I feel like I have many homes around the world now.

Some four years ago, when I’d started feeding my budding interest in anthropology, I’d analogized the human experience to a singular ray of white light diffracting through a prism of geopolitical barriers into a colorful spectrum of cultures. My eight-month journey with Baret Scholars to seven socioeconomic regions of the world with a little over a hundred incredible people my age, because of which I can now recognize Turco-Persian influences in Hindustani classical music and draw parallels between the caste systems in South Asia and West Africa, has only substantiated that understanding. The meticulousness with which Baret curates not only its cohort but also the guests invited to interact with the cohort has exposed me to and connected me with some of the most brilliant minds across national and generational borders. I still run down memory lane and replay Mahmoud Haidar’s talk on enjoying the simple pleasures in life and learning for he sake of it as an act of defiance against its commodification in my head eight months later. The program might only have aimed to let me experience the world before I step into it, but the truth is, it has managed to help me figure out where I fit into the puzzle and how I can leverage that knowledge to become the version of myself I’ve envisioned for the future. I can’t recommend this program enough to any college-aged student interested in immersing themselves in diverse cultures across the globe during their gap year.