India & Nepal Semester | Carpe Diem Education Gap Year

Traveling with Carpe Diem challenged the ideas I had formed about myself in high school. Never quite excelling in the classroom environment and not knowing how to take advantage of school resources, I thought I was just born a “bad student.” Approaching education from an experiential model made me realize, I just didn’t know myself and my own needs. Carpe Diem’s Educators are so compassionate and supportive and help their students excel in their own ways. The program is immersive and set up in a way that gives you a wide variety of experiences, so everyone can experience a range of challenges and strengths.

Like someone said below, I haven't reviewed my semester on here yet because how can you sum up 3 months of experiences in one post? I will say that not only were our groups leaders incredible, the opportunities we were given were very special and unique. While this program may not work for some students, it was beneficial for me in learning how to travel with a variety of personalities, and how to live in a country to vastly different from my own. I saw a review on here that was incredible negative, and I am saddened that India did not teach that individual as much as it taught me about bringing the best out of an experience, and doing so with compassion and patience. I met many people during my time in India, within my group and outside of, that challenged me to think about my own behavior as a person and as someone who participates in society and what my impact is. Traveling in itself does this, but CDE gave us time to reflect and discuss our own thought processes in ways in which traveling alone would not. CDE gave me the space to become more confident in my own traveling abilities, and open my eyes to the differences in the world around me. I am in college now, and I always tell my friends here that I am a better, calmer, more caring person after my semester with CDE. So, if I could, I would do a semester again just to see the ways in which I could continue to grow.

I chose India because it scared me. Traveling to a place that is so foreign for 3 months, without a phone, with a group of 11 other strangers, seems extremely daunting. However, I knew that taking the leap of faith would make me grow. And to say that it did is an understatement. If you want to learn the tools to live a more fulfilling life, develop a worldview, and be exposed to the inequalities that we are often sheltered from, then Carpe Diem is the program for you. The wisdom and lessons I gained have made me a more compassionate and open-minded individual. The way they organize the trip makes you feel like you are immersing yourself in the culture, rather than just being a tourist. We were lucky enough to learn about meditation and Buddhism from the Dalai Lama in his temple. We practiced our Hindi with vibrant kids living in slums. We ate our way through all of the samosa, thali, and chai shops. None of that would have happened without Carpe Diem's longlasting connections to the communities and people of India. The 11 other people in my group also became the most inspiring community I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. We laughed till our stomachs hurt, danced with locals, cried, loved, meditated, and grew together. After 3 years, we still keep in contact because the connections made will truly last a lifetime. I can't recommend this program enough! Take the leap of faith!