More than 70 percent of Elon students study abroad during their four years but imagine going abroad before your life at Elon even starts. With the new gap semester program, a select group of Elon freshman did just that.
"Gap semester program is a brand new program that we're offering as an innovative pathway to education," said Kaitlin Schultz, Director of Transfer and Special Admissions. "It's for a student who maybe doesn't want to jump right into the classroom environment their first semester".
The group of fifteen freshman started their first semester building upon their leadership skills with three weeks at the national outdoor leadership school in Wyoming. The next four weeks were spent doing week-long service projects in various states, including Kentucky and Missouri. The semester wrapped up with six weeks at the Elon center in Costa Rica.
"It's something that every second you're on it, you're like 'I cannot believe I'm doing this.' Our favorite saying while doing it was 'We're in college right now,' as we're hiking in Costa Rica on the beach," said gap semester student Corey Shegda. "It was definitely the most insane thing that I've ever done."
This school year marks the first year Elon has offered the gap semester program, but it certainly won't be the last.
Shegda reflects, "I feel like I grew so much as a person in the short three months that I did it and I experienced things that most people don't get to experience in their life and they don't get to see and I think that is something really special".
This winter term, the fifteen gap students are currently enrolled in a winter term course, as well as Elon 101, and they are starting to begin their transition into life as a traditional Elon student.