This book is a description of Baret Scholars' program, its people, and its philosophy.
IN MEMORIAM
Benno Schmidt MARCH 20, 1942 – JULY 9, 2023
As Chairman of Baret Scholars’ Advisory Board, Benno played an invaluable role in the creation of Baret. His spirit will always guide our work. During his storied and stellar career, Benno Schmidt had a profound impact on education around the world. In higher education, he rose rapidly to serve as Dean of Columbia University Law School and, then, President of Yale. For over a decade, he served as Chairman of the City University of New York, one of the largest university systems in the world. Mid-career, Benno shifted his focus to push for reform in America’s public schools. He co-founded Edison Schools, a pioneering entity in the US charter school movement. Under his leadership, Edison built 100 of the first charter schools in over 50 cities enrolling over 60,000 students. Over the past decade, he was a leader in international education. He co-founded Avenues: The World School. Avenues’ first campus is now one of the largest private schools in NYC, and it was followed by campuses in São Paulo, Shenzhen and Silicon Valley. At Whittle School & Studios he helped to found major K-12 schools in Shenzhen and Suzhou. In the early days of Baret Scholars, he played a pivotal role in selecting our global route and shaping the content of our program, especially our Fellowships.
Students of the World
We miss him greatly.
THIRD EDITION, JANUARY 2025
I .
Background & Vision
Baret Scholars Students of the World
Contents
Co-Editors and Primary Writers Farhad Anklesaria (London) Chris Whittle (New York) Evan Grillon (New York)
A Better Way The Big Picture Your Best Year Yet
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10 14 18
Contributing Editors Alexandra Garcia (Mexico City) Li Jing (Beijing) Noah Agarwal (New York)
A Brief History of Studying the World
II. The Baret Program
History of our Design Process
22 24 26 28 34 36 42 44 52 56 60
Country and Region Contributing Editors/Writers
The Route Map
The Composition of a Cohort Baret’s Class of 2024–2025 The Baret Traveling Team
AFRICA Muzi Li (Jiangsu Province)
INDIA Farhad Anklesaria (London/Delhi)
Six Key Elements of the Baret Scholars Program
One Day in the Baret Year The Morning Program
SOUTH AMERICA Guilherme Ortiz Moreira (São Paulo) Alexandra Garcia (Mexico City) EUROPE Farhad Anklesaria (London/Delhi) Naijing Guo (London) MIDDLE EAST/NORTH AFRICA Farhad Anklesaria (London) Evan Grillon (New York)
CHINA Li Jing (Beijing) Naijing Guo (London) US Chris Whittle (New York) Jaein Seo (New York)
Afternoon Options
Advising
Fellowships
III. Regions & Fellowships
New York City & North America São Paulo & South America Paris & Europe İ stanbul & Middle East Nairobi & Africa New Delhi & South Asia Beijing & East Asia
76 84 92
100 106 112 120
Global Admissions Writer Kalady Osowski (New York)
Design and Art Direction Pentagram (New York) Luke Hayman
IV. Logistics, Logistics, Logistics
Shigeto Akiyama Antonio Nogueira Anna LaGrone
Safety & Security
130 132 134
Fitness & Sports Program
Transportation, Boarding, Dining, Visas & Vaccinations
Illustrations Adam Simpson (London)
V. The Baret Team & Advisors
Portraits Anje Jager (Berlin)
The Global Team & Advisors
136 150
The Traveling Team
VI. Applications, Tuition, Fees, & Scholarships
Copyright © 2025 Baret Scholars © for the images, their authors. © for the texts, their authors. All rights are reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording or any information storage and retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the publisher.
Applications & Deadlines
162 162 164 164
Tuition & Fees Scholarships
Baret Scholars 485 Madison Avenue, 7th Floor, New York, New York 10022 www.baretscholars.org
College Guidance
I. Background & Vision
A Better Way 8 The Big Picture 10
Your Best Year Yet 14 A Brief History of Studying the World 18
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BARET SCHOLARS
A Better Way Chapter 1
LIFE PRESENTS to us precious windows into creativity, transformation, self-dis- covery. Rarely convenient, these portals to growth close as quickly as they appear. This book is about the unique period pos- sessed by college students and just gradu- ated high school seniors—and the impor- tance of seizing it. For many, this moment lies between the end of high school and the beginning of college. For others, it is an in- terlude in the middle of college or just after college graduation. There is a chance, per- haps a last chance, to get off the often spir- it-killing march that goes from early youth all the way to post college employment. Some perspective on that march and how it impacts young people’s lives is perhaps where we should begin. The March to College Admission FOR THOSE persistent enough to pursue it or privileged enough to take it for granted, getting into college has become the cap- stone event for youth around the world. Whether college is the best for everyone is not the subject of this book, but, for now, it is the prevailing gestalt, so prevailing, in fact, that it consumes far more of young mindsets (and that of their families) than the four years of college itself. The pursuit of college begins early (often at age 3) and lasts long (perhaps 15 years). Though the departure points are different, all the travelers are headed for Mecca-like educational destinations in- cluding: Stanford, Harvard, Princeton, and Yale in America; the “Institutes” in India; Oxford, Cambridge, and Imperial in the UK; Tsinghua, Beda, and Fudan in China. For example, in New York City, getting one’s children into the “right” pre-schools (for 3 year olds) is the beginning. One pre- school—the 92nd Street Y—used to allow only 100 applications which had to be picked up physically at the school’s prem- ises on a certain date. Investment bankers, doctors, lawyers, and other professionals would start queuing up the night before, staying all night in the line, rain or shine. Next comes getting into prized Kinder- gartens, often the entry point into leading K-8 or K-12 schools. Today, these young- sters are “interviewed,” often in group “play dates” where behavior is observed and reported by professional observers.
God forbid if a student has a tantrum the day of the interview! In middle school, many students are nudged into extracur- riculars that parents know will help when college admission comes. For the fortu- nate, coaches begin to appear, and subject tutors become a fixture. A child’s calendar starts to get jammed. Then comes high school, and the pres- sure really starts to mount. Getting into the right high school consumes more time, energy, and expense. Then doing well within that school, choosing the right subjects, joining school organizations, do- ing test-prep, writing application essays, demonstrating leadership: the march has quickened and has never been more pres- surized. If and when they do get into col- lege, one might imagine that the march has ended, but we all know that is not the case.
Sachs, and McKinsey, often start recruit- ing these students in their sophomore year, and students begin to orient their march into their doors as early as possi- ble. The desire to make friends becomes entangled with the need to network; ma- jors are chosen to reflect marketability; students become their CVs. Then, often after a graduation speech that tells them to follow their dreams, these young adults march into their careers to face the won- ders and obligations of life.
growth, impact, and identity. Simulta- neously, students are fatigued when they graduate high school or college. They’ve been so focused on going to college and then finding that first great job that they discover they’ve left themselves behind. They haven’t had the time or energy to look beyond their immediate surround- ings, to explore new cultures, or to fully develop their personal interests. The Opportunity THIS IS not a critique of the way things are—it’s just the way things are. Chases are important, directions are necessary, but so is the opportunity to discover and dream. Baret Scholars is a program that takes you out of your context and into the world. It’s a chance to learn about and explore cultures, economies, geog- raphies, and people. It’s a chance to pur- sue your interests—whatever they might be. We believe that taking this rare win- dow of opportunity when students are most open to ideas and inspiration is a chance to cultivate citizens who don’t just march into the future, but who stride into their lives.
The Impacts of the Chase
“ . . . being 19 years old is like no other time in your life. You’re old enough to be considered an adult, but no one expects anything from you. You can travel and work freely, but you’re not expected to have everything figured out. Youth is still on your side, and it is a very rare opportunity. I doubt that there will be another time in my life where I have such freedom to pursue what I want on such a broad scale.”
BUT ARE they prepared? Did they have a good idea of what they wanted out of col- lege and after? Have they formed goals of their own? Have they imagined who they really want to be? Have they pursued their interests? These questions are often drowned out by the beat of the march, only to surface much later in life, perhaps a little too late. Not taking the time to en- gage with these questions does not make life impossible, but it definitely shuts down many possibilities and avenues of
The Rush to Employment
WHILE WE might believe or want college to be a time of discovery, it quickly becomes the path to internships and prestigious jobs. Big companies, like Meta, Goldman
ERIC HOLLENBERG, HARVARD CLASS OF 2017
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BACKGROUND & VISION
The Baret Route
The Big Picture Chapter 2
JEANNE BARET was not just guided by a star; in December 1766, she also boarded one. The ship— L’Etoile (French for The Star)— took her around the world, enabling her to discover herself as well as strange, new plants in faraway, exotic lands. Today, the inaugural Baret cohort of over 100 recent high school graduates and college students from more than 40 countries are following in her wake, on their own global expedition, to find and follow their own stars. In Septem- ber 2025, Baret’s 2nd cohort of students will begin their journeys. Baret students are traveling and studying with a full-time team of 17 ac- complished, experienced, and youthful Deans, Fellows, and support person- nel. Like the students themselves, they come from all corners of the earth. They grew up in every land the students will venture to and have an expertise in our students’ interests. This year’s team in- cludes PhD’s in anthropology, medicine, and linguistics from MIT, Cornell, and Berkeley, and nearly half our Fellows are Oxford grads. The traveling team includes a full-time physician as well as security and logistics professionals. Preceded by virtual get-togethers and contextual briefings across this past summer, Baret’s 1st cohort launched its global journey in September after com- ing together for a week of orientation in New Hampshire. Designed to mentally prepare students for the road and year ahead, Baret’s orientation week allowed students to get to know their “House,” a group of 10–14 students and 1 Fellow: a key organizing unit of Baret. Each House is designed as a microcosm of the globe, comprised of students from hometowns far different than those of their high school friends: Casablanca and Mexico City, Kongsberg and San Francisco, Nairobi and New Delhi, Bu- charest and Bursa, Hong Kong and São Paulo, Toronto and Riyadh. Far better than the safety briefings on ships and planes, Baret’s security pro- tocols were a priority during this year’s orientation. Students came to under- stand not just “the law of the land” but the laws of many lands. A modernized version of the “Buddy System” was in- troduced for their use worldwide. Then, bound together, their journey began.
it as a 5th year of college, akin to a dual Masters program in International Affairs and Life Design. Just as leading universi- ties from Brown to the University of Chi- cago are offering “5th year BA/MA” pro- grams, Baret adds an intense global year to a BA, not after, but before or during it. The curated and structured portion of Baret includes four key elements: THE MORNING PROGRAM. Organized by Baret’s Global and Country teams, the Morning Program in each country brings 25–30 experts in front of our students, a total of about 200 thought leaders across the year. On 10 mornings during the weeks in the 7 Home Base cities, Baret organizes a 2–3 hour program each day for the entire cohort. Think of this as a traveling, TED-like conference which immerses Baret students in the culture, politics, arts, businesses, and economies of each region. As content rich as the best college courses, it differs dramatically in “production value.” With Peabody Award winning experience amongst our team, we combine engagement, entertainment, and education through talks, discussions, interviews, student participation and performances, which provide intellectual windows into these regions along with in- spiring models to think about themselves and design their own lives. FELLOWSHIPS: 70 TO CHOOSE FROM. Through the year, Baret will offer at least 70 different Fellowship programs as electives for its students, 10 possibilities in each of the 7 regions. From the 70 op- tions, each student chooses 1 per region, a total of 7 across the year. Led by a Baret Fellow and comprised of 10–14 students each, these Fellowships are 7–10 day edu- cational programs organized around dif- ferent interests from innovation to cre- ativity, nature and politics. Fellowships generally occur outside the Home Base cities on the Baret route, giving students experiences well beyond the world’s mega cities. Students can experience the small towns and wilderness areas of China and Africa, the entrepreneurism and art of the Americas, and the history and environmental concerns of all Bar- et regions. Some of the Fellowships are offered in adjacent countries with the options for this year’s cohort including, to name a few, Mexico, Argentina, Peru, Italy, Spain, Germany, Egypt, Jordan, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, South Africa, Rwanda, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Korea, and Japan.
AFTERNOON OPTIONS. During their after- noons in each of the Home Base cities, Baret students can explore the city on their own or opt to participate in a variety of edu- cational options led by Baret’s Fellows and global leadership. Each year these possi- bilities will be based on the expertise of that year’s Fellows. For this year’s cohort, options include seminars in advanced and intermediate French; college counseling; career counseling; and, for students inter- ested in entrepreneurism, a year-long, 14 session seminar on “Starting Things” led by Baret’s founder. ADVISING. Except weekends, there is a 30 minute, daily “House” meeting for stu- dents and their Fellow to catch up and share experiences and problems. Addi- tionally, each week, Baret students also meet one-on-one with their assigned Fellow. Modeled after the Oxford/Cam- bridge tutorial system, these sessions provide students with life design tech- niques, college preparation, and inspira- tion for their independent projects. Us- ing well-researched techniques, Fellows help students plan to get the most from their coming or current college experi- ence and imminent adult lives. Key de- liverables include Fellow-led-initiatives called “Designing your College Years” in the fall and “Designing your Life” in the spring.
THE BARET route circles the earth, including 7 key regions/countries: North America, South America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, India, and China/Southeast Asia. In each region or country, the full cohort of students works out of a Home Base city, specifically New York, São Paulo, Paris, Istanbul, Nairobi, New Delhi, and Beijing. After 18–20 day stays in the Home Base city, students have a number of 7–10 day Fellowship options from which to choose, traveling in independent, small groups with a Fellow to visit and learn about other parts of the region.
The Baret Program
BARET SCHOLARS is an intense experi- ence, not a course . There is a great deal of learning, but no professors . There are deliv- erables, but no homework . This is a year of much reading, but there is no required text . Students reflect on their year and complete capstone projects, but there are no tests . As one gap year proponent said, “ This is not a year off, but a year very much on .” Hundreds of discussions with students, families, schools and universities tell us that students want a mix of curated, struc- tured programs and independent explora- tion. They also want options from which to choose. Baret delivers on that, providing a combination of the well planned and the spontaneous, as detailed in the pages of this book. Knowing that students learn in their own ways, the Baret experience is built from a recipe of approaches. Sometimes the entire student cohort functions together, sometimes as smaller student groups of 10–14, often one-on-one with Fellows, and through completely independent work.
Time for the Unplanned
“WE LIKE some structure, but give us lots of time on our own or with a couple of friends.” That’s what students and educa- tors told us as we developed Baret. Alums of education abroad said they learned a lot from meeting new people as they walked along the Bund or The Bosphorus. In our home base cities, every afternoon and evening are free for students to do as they wish. And every weekend is at least a 3-day one allowing students to head off to the region around them, mostly by train and bus. Baret will present possibilities, but our students are free to walk, to read, and, top of the list, to talk and discover one another.
Curated and Structured
IF BARET Scholars were a university—and we know it isn’t—we’d like you to think of
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BACKGROUND & VISION
The Year Ends. Its Lessons Don’t
A SCHOOL year after their first day together in the New England mountains, this year’s Baret students will graduate in a week-long program on the Japanese island of Hok- kaido. Baret’s second cohort will graduate in Northern China. Graduation will be a week of sharing reflections, cementing friendships and presenting projects. Stu- dents will walk off the island, proud and prepared, inquisitive and inspired, ready to make the most out of their years ahead. While a year like no other comes to end, the benefits of Baret will last. Just-graduated high school seniors be- gin university a year ahead in perspective and maturity than their fellow freshman. They have designed their plan for college , not fallen into it. Current college students return to cam- pus better equipped to inform and craft their important last years of university. Baret alumni for life, students have an entirely new set of global friendships forged from an intense year in unfamil- iar environments. More ready for careers in any coun- try of their choice, students take home a special badge, something forever unique on their CV : they were a Baret Scholar. If they choose to apply to college (or transfer to another one) during or after their Baret year, they are more attractive appli- cants to the universities they really want . Most important, Baret graduates will be culturally literate beyond their borders, for- ever seeing the world, and their home coun- tries too, through a more informed lens. They are more ready to achieve what the young people of all generations most desire: making the world a better place.
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BACKGROUND & VISION
Your Best Year Yet Chapter 3
EACH YEAR of our lives is precious. We only get so many of them, so how we use and plan each one is the mark of a life well lived. Baret Scholars’ mission is to make its year the best yet of our students’ lives. We did not say the best ever. That would defeat our purpose: to serve as a foundational experience for many best-yet years ahead as our graduates move through levels of fulfillment and ac- complishment in their lives. What makes this Baret year so special? Why make this investment? Through thousands of hours of creative design, research, and listening to those who have gone before us, we’ve worked to make the Baret Scholars year a transformative one. Here are our hopes for every one of our graduates. 1 The Best Start and Finish to Your College Experience WHETHER YOU are already in college or get- ting ready to be, Baret is designed to en- hance the value of your college years. Bar- et’s design has been informed by research conducted by the U.S. Gap Year Associa- tion, which collaborated with universities to track the performance of gap year stu- dents. Unsurprisingly, what these studies show is “most students who take a gap year end up performing at higher levels than would have been predicted.”
Baret does not want graduates to stum- ble towards their university years but begin them at the top of their game, not a year be- hind but a year ahead. Fresher, more ma- ture, more informed, more worldly, better advised, and more inspired than their likely envious, battle-weary peers, they come to college with an invaluable asset: purpose, their very own purpose. Baret helps bring that purpose into fo- cus through multiple facets of our program. We flood our students’ consciousness with a variety of experiences and information, trusting our students to assimilate and find meaning from the different elements. Across the year, we inform by a low-pres- sure, steady flow of well-designed “crash courses” in each of the seven cultures we will visit. We curate selected books and films. We inspire by bringing students up close with 250 Baret recruited, Morning Program speakers who have started and led organizations and movements. We want our students to rub up against greatness in oth- er people. And their assigned Fellows advise students in small group sessions every day and in one-on-one get togethers every week. Across the year, we help each student think through their college time which lies ahead. Each student completes the Baret year with a personalized, purposeful college plan.
graduate programs in the decades ahead, interviewers will be fascinated by an ap- plicant’s time at Baret. Why? Because the Baret experience will be viewed by inter- viewers as something distinct from virtu- ally every other competing applicant. How many other applicants will have spent thoughtful time in China, India, Africa, the Middle East, South America, the US and Europe? Almost none. Baret Scholars is a substantive, lifelong addition to one’s CV and, with each passing year, it becomes more so as Baret’s reputation spreads around the world. Despite a rise in nationalism, according to World Bank research “there is no evi- dence that the world economy has entered an era of deglobalization.” Even with the lingering effects of Covid-19, world trade reached a record $32 trillion dollars in 2022. Large multinational employers and small start-ups alike will increasingly seek team members with extensive inter- national awareness and experience. Bar- et brings that to its graduates. It is not a casual, touristy, few-week trip to Europe which would be disregarded by interview- ers. From early orientation to graduation, it is a year-long immersive experience in the entire world. Future employers will value that and understand they could “post” a Baret Scholar not just in their home country, but in many countries. Baret graduates’ career opportunities also increase because their own view of what is personally possible expands. In their Baret year they see what success looks like. They hear the life stories of founders. They begin to think not just about what they want to do, but where they might like to begin their pursuits. They start to imag- ine possibilities for themselves: from what field to pursue to what they might like to find on their own. They imagine how to lead a life of significance. 3 Understanding the World
to called Cultural Literacy. In an America then awash with highly progressive (and important) educational reform theories, he put forth the view that, without a grasp of certain background information, a person had little chance of entering the American mainstream. He believed knowing how to read and write was not enough. To do so well you needed to know who Lincoln and the Roosevelts were and, even roughly when the Civil War was fought. The title of one of his later works, How to Educate a Citizen: The Power of Shared Knowledge to Unify a Nation , could not make his point better. Hirsch’s writings were focused main- ly on citizenry in the United States, but his thoughts hold true when thinking of the world as a whole. To be real citizens of this planet, we must know more than a bit about it. We must all become geog- raphers in the broader sense of the word, understanding not just maps but the hu- man-constructed phenomena going on within those lines on a page. A Chinese Mandarin teacher once said, “A second language is a second soul.” A broader and deeper understanding of the world is like another language. Almost osmotically, it morphs us into beings no longer confined by our original geographic boundaries. The more practical effects of Baret Scholars, like the aforementioned better college experience and more meaning- ful careers, follow from this deeper un- derstanding. To make the world a better place you need to understand it first. As one Brazilian parent advised his daughter: “Go see the world and then come home and change it.” 4 Seeing Home through a New Lens THE PHRASE “gap year” has become synon- ymous with international experience. And, to be exact, for Baret students, six sevenths of their Baret year will be outside their home country or region. But for most of our stu- dents, one month of the Baret year will be
FOR THOSE ALREADY IN COLLEGE
“Perhaps the best way of all to get the full benefit of a ‘time-off’ is to postpone entrance to college for a year. For more than four decades, Harvard has recommended this option, indeed proposing it in the letter of admission. Now more than one hundred Harvard students defer college until the next year. The results have been uniformly positive. Harvard’s daily student newspaper, The Crimson, reported (5/19/2000) that students who had taken a year off found the experience ‘so valuable that they would advise all Harvard students to consider it.’” WILLIAM FITZSIMMONS, DEAN OF ADMISSIONS AND FINANCIAL AID, HARVARD COLLEGE
FOR CURRENT college students, Baret is an opportunity to get the most of your re- maining years. Most of the benefits not- ed above apply equally to students in the midst of their college experience. And there are more. Students who take a year for exploration “mid-college” bring back new and different perspectives which guide and inform their crucial last years of college, the ones which often immediately precede first employment.
FOR THOSE BEGINNING COLLEGE
2 Broader Career Opportunities
THE “THOUSAND-YARD stare” is a phrase of- ten used to describe the blank, unfocused gaze of combatants who have become emo- tionally detached from the traumatizing things they’ve been through. Regrettably, it is an apt characterization of how many—or even most—just graduated high school se- niors feel after slogging through school from age 3 to age 18 to get into a desired college and then excel there. Exhausted by the pro- cess of gaining entry into college, they are not really ready for it. They are like writers starting to write a novel, but with no out- line, no context, no plan, no vision.
MARLYN E. MCGRATH, DIRECTOR OF ADMISSIONS, HARVARD COLLEGE CHARLES DUCEY, ADJUNCT LECTURER IN PSYCHOLOGY, HARVARD GRADUATE SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
PREDICTION: In every interview for post- college jobs, in-college internships, and
IN 1988, E. D. Hirsch, Jr., a University of Vir- ginia professor, penned a forceful manifes-
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BARET SCHOLARS
BACKGROUND & VISION
nearer to home or, even, in their home city. Is that a waste? Not at all. Why? First, when in their home regions, Bar- et participants will act as hosts or cultural interpreters for their visiting Baret col- leagues. For example, when the Baret class of students is in India for a month, Baret students from India step up to make sure that month is special and meaningful for their fellow participants. They become “the insiders” who know their way around Delhi, Bangalore, Mumbai, Amritsar. Second, just because someone is from the US or New York City doesn’t mean they have nothing to learn about their home re- gions or cities. The cultural crash course which Baret will organize in its Morning Programs for each region includes mate- rial that would normally be seen in col- lege or graduate level programs. And this material will be presented by individuals that any college would be thrilled to have as a guest lecturer. Though students from that region may have heard about some of the people Baret will involve, it is unlike- ly they’ve ever met or questioned them. It is of note that a significant percentage of students taking gap years do so in part or wholly in their own countries, to discover their own homelands. Third, Baret students will learn by teaching their peers. As they help their colleagues from foreign lands understand their home country, they learn too via something known as the “protégé effect.” When you are expected to know some- thing by your peers, you learn more about it in order to meet their expectations. 5 Road to a More Desired College FOR STUDENTS participating in Baret im- mediately following high school, most will either have already been accepted to a college or university of their choice and will choose to defer admission to that college for one year in order to be part of Baret. So long as students do not seek to
be admitted to another college during their gap year, most leading colleges in the US (and many elsewhere) not only allow such deferments, but encourage them, knowing that students will per- form better as a result. For a variety of good reasons, some students applying to Baret Scholars may want to apply to college during their Bar- et year. We welcome those applicants too. However, we discourage students apply- ing solely for the reason that Baret is a “ticket” to highly desired universities. We appreciate that the Baret experience will enhance the chances of admission into more prestigious colleges. We know Bar- et graduates will be highly sought after, as Baret alumni will begin their college careers with maturity and a wholly differ- ent set of experiences. But, just as Prince- ton or Oxford would not want applicants to solely apply in order to get a better job later, we are looking for students who buy into the broader Baret mission. Finally, for students currently in col- lege and considering a transfer, the Bar- et experience is a valuable credential for transfer applications. 6 A New World of Friends and a Worldwide Network OUR BEST friends often come to us through shared, intense, eye-opening experiences. A hike in the Andes, our first time abroad, a high school play or sports team, an organization started to- gether, a great wedding, group therapy. Graduates of Schwarzman Scholars in Beijing, or Rhodes Scholars in the UK, or of the United World College, know how this works. On the first day of orientation (and in the months leading up to it), Baret students have new opportunities for friends very different from their current ones. They will be drawn from every re-
gion of the world, and some number of those students will become close, life- time friends. All will become part of a new network of relationships from São Paulo to Istanbul to Beijing. And, as the years pass, many of these contacts will become important, leading members of their societies. They will welcome their Baret colleagues into their lives and homes and into their organizations and careers, often joining with one another in some way. Baret plans an extensive alumni program to keep its graduates in touch and involved with the organiza- tion that brought them together. Friendships can not and should not be forced. As friendships do, they will happen naturally. Yet possibilities for friendship can be facilitated—and Baret will shamelessly do that. Interest groups will be encouraged and formed, as will sports teams, running and walking groups, etc. The seating at many lunch- es and at scheduled talks will rotate. As they move around the world, Baret stu- dents will have different roommates. In the end, to add to their high school, college, and career friends, we are sure that friends from their time at Baret will be some of their closest in life. 7 Advancement of Skills and Interests AS WE designed the Baret year, we’ve sought the advice of hundreds of individu- als in different fields. A frequent question by them was “what are Baret students go- ing to be required to do?” The definition of requirement includes words like “com- pulsory” and “must.” The definition of en- couragement, on the other hand, includes “support, confidence, or hope.” Baret un- derstands the desire for requirement but prefers the spirit of encouragement. During their Baret year, all students will be highly encouraged to advance existing or newly discovered interests and support- ed in their efforts to create and transmit to
their colleagues a “Capstone Project” of their own choosing. As noted in a later section describing the Baret cohort, we will consciously con- struct each year’s Baret class looking for a wide range of interests and capabilities. Within a cohort, there will be coders, art- ists, musicians, budding entrepreneurs, a few who want to become presidents of their countries (and a couple who may turn out to be!). In multiple ways, Baret will bring these interest groups together. Here’s an example: the traveling Fellows accompa- nying the cohort will, each month, take a group of about a dozen students on 7–10 day Fellowships beyond our Home Base cities. While in the US, a Fellow who is a practicing artist could take students to ex- plore Miami’s Design District, and, while in China, spend time with students in Bei- jing’s 798 Art District. A Fellow with en- trepreneurial interest could lead a group to the start-up capitals of the US and China, Silicon Valley and Shenzhen. Regarding Capstone Projects, Baret will support students in their creation and sharing with their fellow students at graduation. Just as tutors have since the 15th century at Oxford, Baret Fellows will support the Capstone Project of students in their weekly one-on-one sessions with students. At Baret’s graduation week and on Baret’s website, students will share their creations with their colleagues and the world. There’s no required form. Cap- stones can be a film, a talk, a short story, a song, photos, a watercolor, a performance. And a Capstone Project doesn’t have to be done by one student. A song can be creat- ed and sung by many. This is not a “final.” It can be done and shared along the way or during graduation. What unifies these Capstones is that each one is a work of choice, a work of joy. All were encouraged. None were required. 8 And Then There is You
offerings at a government-run cafeteria. We will not be serving any of that. There is no branded bottle filled with the awakening of your true self. Like get- ting yourself in shape, it’s years in the making and never finished. Still, you can make choices to accelerate the possibility of understanding your old self while creating who you want to become. One of the choices you can make is to do something you haven’t done. That in- cludes, if but for a year, checking out of the grind, the culturally prescribed, every- one-one-has-to-do-it, mindset. Go where you have not been and may never go again. Talk, a lot, with people you don’t know— yet. Read a lot of what you want. Another choice is to do something creative during this time. Write, draw, design a house you one day want to build, think about something you’d like to start one day. A gap year before or during college is one way towards your own growth and discovery. It may not be perfect, and it may well be difficult, but it is far more likely to be better than the too-well-trod- den current plan.
Perhaps Your Last Best Chance
IN THE 1960s and 1970s, hundreds of thou- sands of young people were, in Ken Kesey like fashion, on the road, mostly after they had completed college. That was a differ- ent time, and the world was a different place. Ambitions, careers, expectations, and even visa requirements were different then. Though not impossible, the likeli- hood is low today that just graduated col- lege students would or could take a year to do anything remotely like Baret Schol- ars. However, the moment between high school and college or a mid-college break is perhaps the best chance to do so, per- haps even the last best chance. We hope the thoughts above move you towards that moment.
“The key is in not spending time, but in investing it.” STEPHEN R. COVEY
“SELF DISCOVERY” and “finding yourself” have become cliches about as attractive as
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BARET SCHOLARS
BACKGROUND & VISION
On the Road in the 1960s
Top Tier Global Education Programs OVER THE past century, educational in- stitutions have been founded upon the theme of international understanding. Since 1902, the Rhodes Scholarship has brought students from the US and the British Commonwealth to the UK. Fol- lowing Rhodes, The Fulbright Program was launched in 1946 and now provides 8,000 grants a year. In 1962, during the height of the Cold War, United World College was founded by German educa- tor and philosopher Kurt Hahn. UWC now has 60,000 alumni who have gradu- ated from its 18 campuses located world- wide. Its first campus, Atlantic College in Wales, brings together 300 students from over 100 countries for their last two years of high school. Most recently, Schwarzman Scholars, which was found- ed in 2016 and is frequently referred to as the “China Rhodes,” annually brings over 100 students from around the world to a one-year Masters program in Global Af- fairs at China’s leading university, Tsing- hua in Beijing. Rhodes, Fulbright, United World Col- lege, and Schwarzman have all inspired and informed Baret Scholars, which builds upon and brings new scope and features to their pioneering work.
Chapter 4
BARET SCHOLARS is founded upon the long-standing belief that understand- ing the leading cultures of the world is an essential part of one’s cultural litera- cy. While Baret Scholars may take place during the year between high school and college or as a interlude during college, its structure is more akin to post-college scholarship programs. We think of it as a 5th year of college that occurs before or during the regular 4 years. For centuries, the desire to under- stand and explore other cultures has ex- isted, and the programs founded to fill this need have informed our work. Here’s a brief history of some and further back- ground information.
most in short-duration programs of less than a year and typically in one location. About 15% of US students spend some time abroad during their college years.
A Brief History of Studying the World
IN THE 1960s and 1970s, the idea and the limited geography of the original Grand Tour was expanded. Across the globe, hundreds of thousands of young people hit the road seeking discovery of them- selves and other cultures. Unlike the Grand Tours of earlier days, these were typically done on shoestring budgets and, mostly, with minimal planning. Though itineraries varied greatly, there were entire makeshift communities of students in certain destinations such as Marrakech and Essaouira (then Moga- dor) and villages on Crete’s southern coast. A famous route pushed East from Europe along what became known as the “Hippie Trail,” young people head- ing overland in battered buses and Land Rovers from Istanbul to Kabul, Kash- mir, and Kathmandu. The era spawned books and music, including On the Road Again , recorded by the American blues- rock group Canned Heat in 1967.
4 Year College Study and Postgraduate Work Abroad
DRIVEN BY the desire to seek the best col- lege experience, students worldwide do 4-year college programs and postgrad- uate education abroad. The T.I.M.E. Association in France conducted a 2021 study on student overseas education. It reported that millions of students seek bachelor’s, master’s and PhD’s abroad, the largest contributors being:
The Grand Tour
IN THE early 1600s, Europeans intro- duced the idea of a “Grand Tour” as part of a young person’s education. By the 1900s, most young men of privilege did grand tours of leading European soci- eties, often accompanied by tutors (or cicerones as they were called then). The average Grand Tour lasted at least a year. The experience was an educational rite of passage, particularly for young, aris- tocratic, English men. Edward Gibbon said, “... foreign travel completes the education of an English gentleman.” However, British travelers were not the only nationalities on the road. From the 1600s, young men from countries such as Denmark, France, Germany, the Neth- erlands, Poland and Sweden all went on similar journeys, thinking of it as an im- portant way to complete their education. Americans of the 19th century Gilded Age expanded the Grand Tour idea to include both sexes. The less privileged tried to mimic the idea, as Mark Twain captured in his enormously popular In- nocents Abroad in 1869. Further, in 2009, the BBC/PBS miniseries based on Little Dorrit by Charles Dickens presented the Grand Tour idea as a rite of passage.
China
993,367
India
375,055
Germany
122,538
Vietnam
108,527
Semesters and Years Abroad
South Korea
101,774
France
99,488
United States
84,349
THE IDEA of “studying abroad” dates back to the 12th century when Holland- ers came to England to spend time at Oxford University. And across the cen- turies there are many examples, most sporadic. The 20th century saw a dra- matic rise in semesters and year-abroad activity across the globe. In 1919, the Institute of Interna- tional Education (IIE) was created by Nobel Peace Prize winners Nicholas Murray Butler and Stephen Duggen, and in 1923, the University of Dela- ware launched America’s first officially credited study abroad program. That year, eight students embarked on a six- week trip to France. Over the years, that original program developed into what eventually came to be known as Junior Year Abroad (JYA). It paved the way for other universities to develop their own international semesters and years abroad. Today, about 350,000 US students a year do some study abroad,
Gap Years ACCORDING TO the Gap Year Association, 30,000–40,000 U.S. college students annually take a gap year prior to start- ing college. The number one use of their time: see the world, perhaps inspired by Steve Jobs, who spent a year abroad be- fore college. Gap year numbers are ex- pected to jump dramatically, with recent research showing that 40 percent of US high school seniors consider the gap year idea. Leading universities are also pro- moting gap years. For 40 years, Harvard has endorsed gap years and, today, actu- ally recommends them in its admission letter to students. British parents are re- ported to spend nearly one billion pounds per year to fund gap years for their recent high school graduates.
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BARET SCHOLARS
BACKGROUND & VISION
II.
The Baret Program
History of our Design Process 22 The Route Map 24 The Composition of a Cohort 26 Baret’s Class of 2024–2025 28 The Baret Traveling Team 34 Six Key Elements of the Baret Scholars Program 36
One Day in the Baret Year 42 The Morning Program 44 Afternoon Options 52 Advising 56 Fellowships 60
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BARET SCHOLARS
History of Our Design Process Chapter 5
ELITE ARCHITECTURAL firms typically em- ploy three iterative phases of design: SD, DD, and CD. Schematic Design is the early visionary process, involving rough, imag- inative sketches; Design Development delves deep into each project aspect, rigor- ously questioning feasibility and function- ality; and, finally, Construction Drawing materialises as the culmination, a compre- hensive compilation of thousands of pages of detailed drawings and specifications, serving as the blueprint for contractors to bring the envisioned building to life. From the very outset, the best architects assemble an integrated team of designers, engineers, cost estimators, and an array of specialty consultants to deal with everything from lighting to sound. Prototyping is critical— with many versions disregarded for better ones. So it has been with the design of Baret Scholars. For 2 years, the thoughts and ef- forts of over 100 individuals have gone into building this exceptional 1 year experience, from the day of acceptance to graduation. The Early Draft IN THE summer of 2022, working with Benno Schmidt, Yale’s former President, Chris Whittle penned a 5,000-word initial draft of the Baret program, code-named GlobalGap. He was inspired and informed by his own experiences: working and studying abroad, funding 180 full schol- arships for his alma mater (which included a year abroad), and his own gap-like-year. Throughout the fall of 2022, the ear- ly draft of GlobalGap 1.0 was shared with 40 “readers.” These included students who have taken or wanted to take gap years, graduates of Rhodes, Fulbright, and Schwarzman Scholarships, fellow entrepre- neurs, college advisors, and educators. Their feedback was encapsulated in a sentiment many shared: “I wish Baret had existed when I did my gap year!” Readers resound- ingly endorsed and expanded on Baret’s ho- listic mix of structured, curated elements, and highly independent experiences. Refinement BASED ON this early phase of input, Global- Gap 2.0 was produced, with a long list of
came the equivalent of a design workshop, a goldmine of fresh perspectives—all in- corporated in the Global-Gap design. By the summer of 2023, the design was largely complete. It culminated in an August 4-day retreat of the 15 Baret team members in Istanbul. There, every ele- ment of the program was meticulously ex- amined and refined. And, just as fashion designers sew on the label last, the Baret Scholars name was chosen. The Contributions of our Traveling Team SINCE THE summer of 2023, Baret’s global team has continued to grow, expanding its programming team and handpicking a Traveling Team of 17 accomplished, global professionals and educators, in- cluding two Deans, ten Fellows, and se- curity, logistics, and medical officers. In July of 2024, the entire global team had the chance to meet for the first time in New England to finalize plans for our inaugural year, and to begin iterating on ideas for the future.
On-Going Design
improvements. Capital was raised to con- tinue development and to start bringing on full-time team members and planning consultants. Monthly design sessions, par- ticularly on the balance between the cura- tion and freedom of the program, were held with a range of experts and consultants. We designed early versions of the Morning Program and Fellowships. Simultaneously, BAU Advisors was brought in to provide fi- nancial advice, develop the financial model, and engage the investment community. We reviewed related graduate pro- grams from Rhodes, Fulbright, and Schwarzman to current gap year offer- ings. We attended conferences, such as the US Gap Year Association in Montana in May 2023, and studied academic es-
says, travel books, and podcasts on the nature of transition experiences.
THIS BOOK is the culmination of thousands of hours of work over the past 24 months. However, unlike an inanimate building which is very difficult to change, Baret Scholars is a living, flexible institution that will evolve year to year based on the input of its students, Fellows and families. While this book endeavors to provide students with an accurate vision and de- piction of the Baret program, the program may be subject to variations in dates or des- tinations based upon particular safety con- cerns, visa restrictions and other factors that may arise from time to time. Admitted students will refer to our enrollment doc- umentation and our student handbook for further details.
Inputs from the Expanded Founding Team SPRING 2023 marked the onset of team ex- pansion, facilitated by two leading global recruitment agencies. Hundreds of appli- cants were considered for the 15 original posts. The interviewing process itself be-
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BARET SCHOLARS
THE BARET PROGRAM
The Route Map Chapter 6
4 PARIS & EUROPE
Nov 15–Dec 4 Fellowships Dec 4–11 Including: ● Seville
BREAK Dec 12–Jan 18
2 NEW YORK &
NORTH AMERICA Sept 20–Oct 10 Fellowships Oct 10–18 Including: ● Los Angeles ● Washington, DC ● Mexico City
● Tuscany ● London
5 ISTANBUL & MIDDLE EAST Jan 19–Feb 8 Fellowships Feb 8–15 Including ● Marrakech ● Ephesus ● Ankara
9 GRADUATION
Northern China May 10–May 15
4
9
1
2
8
5
1 ORIENTATION New England Sept 15– 20, 2025
7
8 BEIJING & EAST ASIA April 12–May 2 Fellowships May 2–9 Including ● Shenzhen ● Shanghai ● Seoul
6
7 NEW DELHI
& SOUTH ASIA Mar 15–Apr 4 Fellowships Apr 4–11 Including
3
3 SAO PAULO & SOUTH AMERICA Oct 18–Nov 7 Fellowships Nov 7–14 Including ● Rio de Janeiro ● Amazon ● Patagonia
6 NAIROBI & AFRICA
● Varanasi ● Mumbai ● Nepal
Feb 16–Mar 7 Fellowships Mar 7–14 Including ● Kigali ● Cape Town ● Kilimanjaro
Note: Dates may vary slightly due to flights and travel arrangements. Baret reserves the right to alter the route for political, security or visa issues that may arise.
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