Location:

Kathmandu, Nepal; New Delhi, India

Program Type:

Intern Abroad

Degree Level:

Undergraduate

Term:

Academic Year, Fall Semester, Spring Semester

Work Types:

Social Sciences

Program Overview

Program Description:

An extraordinary alternative first year of college designed to assist a student in making a powerful and graceful transition from home to independence, high school to college, and adolescence into adulthood, which offers: a semester of group travel to Asia or Latin America; four intensive residential retreats focused on life-path visioning, development of a high level of emotional literacy, and rites of passage into adulthood; a three-month solo internship anywhere in the world; an integrated experiential curriculum leading to a full year of academic credit with full access to federal and private financial aid, and a full additional year of internship placements. Runs September through May and January to August.

The four primary goals of LEAPYEAR program studies are: The breaking of the educational "trance." After 12 years of sitting in classrooms and having people talk at you, learning disconnected material that changes every hour, students learn that their input isn't important, and that education is something that is done to us by "experts" and outer authorities. In a traditional classroom, the student's focus shifts to jumping through hoops, and trying to please outer authority figures. The experiential nature of a LEAPYEAR demands that a student reconnect with a desire to learn that comes organically from within, and engage actively with their own learning and evolution. Both study abroad semesters are structured in such a way that a major block of travel and exploration is bracketed by two residential retreats - creating a learning structure of Preparation, Experience, Reflection. Throughout each semester students have a great deal of choice about what they study while living and traveling abroad. LEAPYEAR asserts the primacy of the individual as their own ultimate authority. Development of a strong sense of autonomy. A sense that you can go anywhere in the world and live and learn in a capable, independent way - that you have wings on your back and can live a "winged life." Development of a strong sense of self. A deep and multi-dimensional sense of one's own being, independent of external circumstance, that includes the mind, the body, the flow of emotion, the energetic body, and the spirit. Understanding of the context of your life: Through exposure to the broader world for 6 months, and 8 retreat weeks devoted to understanding one's own inner world.

"Nine month, six countries, and more than enough experiences for a lifetime, it’s hard to believe my LEAPYEAR journey is coming to an end. The fact that my life journey is just beginning is even harder to believe. My accomplishments over the past year cannot be measured in the classroom. I have obtained a worldview, climbed a volcano, found love, SCUBA dived in Madagascar, learned a language, stood on pyramids, learned to live consciously, hugged a baobab tree, and the list goes on. I have been reborn a thousand times and I reflect that change. My connection with myself and everyone and everything else that exists in this world feels natural and true. My awareness of myself in this work has never felt so clear, so real, and so constant. Challenges and mistakes have become friends whom I love dearly. Integrity has become my source when I need balance. Questions have become my guide and answers have become stepping stones to bigger and more specific questions. Life is my journey, my journey has a purpose. I have discovered my personal legend; I have never felt so enthused to dive into the unknown." - Kyle O’Brien, LYR 2007/08 Graduate (Group travel in Central America and solo internship in Madagascar)

Setting Description:

Named after Maacama Creek which runs through the property, our 10-acre rural campus is located 90 miles north of San Francisco in the heart of Sonoma County wine country. Maacama is where all LEAPYEAR and LEAPYEAR2 retreats are held throughout the year.

Cost:

$33,900 with access to federal and private financial aid: Includes room and board.