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
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