Aardvark Israel - A Great Way To Waste Your Money And Your Gap Year

In my junior year of high school I spent two months on Alexander Muss High School in Israel. It was one of the best experiences of my life. We learned jewish history, from creation to present day, and travelled around Israel learning about the country and experiencing the culture. The classes and the field trips were amazing, and the two months were so inspiring that when it was over I immediately knew I wanted to go back to Israel for my gap year.

One of my biggest regrets was choosing to spend my gap year on Aardvark. This is a great program for anyone interested in partying the year away without any structure or adult supervision. Honestly it hardly felt like a program at all. Every aspect of the program from the internships to the field trips were unorganized and poorly planned. It constantly felt like everything was thrown together at the last minute. Most of the trips were boring, and no where near as engaging and educational as the ones I experienced on AMHSI. I could have easily done the same things on my own for a much cheaper price. The staff and madrichim were young and did not know how to control a group of students so close in age to them. My madricha was no more than 2 years older than me, unsupportive, and extremely unhelpful. When I would ask her a question or for directions she would reply "Ask Google". The program had no real structure, and it was obvious.

There were few students who had good experiences with their internships and volunteer work. I personally felt like I was not gaining any useful work experience, and ultimately felt I was wasting my time. Most students quickly realized you could skip, and even quit your internship without getting caught by the madrichim, and took advantage of this.

The classes were uninspiring, and although they were accredited by AJU, I did not feel like I learned much. Now, after attending a full year of university, I know for a fact the classes were not adequate.

There was only one staff member who I felt was supportive, and invested in my experience. She was the only staff member who acknowledged my complaints and concerns, and tried to work with me to improve my experience. She cared about the program, and worked hard to improve it for the sake of the students. Sadly this was not recognized and she no longer works for Aardvark. Me and many of my fellow students felt like Aardvark was a business, rather than a program invested in our experience.

Overall I feel like my experience on Aardvark distanced me even further from my judaism, and left me feeling resentful toward Israel. I look back on my gap year with regret and disappointment.

The reviews below are good, but keep in mind that it is only a small fraction of Aardvark alumni that have taken the time to write a response. I know for a fact that many of the other students in my year were also extremely unhappy with the program.