UnCollege helps young people pursue their interests proactively through learning relevant skills and gaining real world experience. Our Gap Year Program: UnCollege is a program that deliberately teaches the soft skills learned in college and develops them during a nine-month gap year for students preparing for the next step in life. It's a three-phase program: international service learning, skill building workshops in SF, and an internship anywhere in the world. All of this is woven together by a dedicated coach and mentor(s) that the fellow works with throughout the program to identify and set personal and professional goals. The result is expedited growth on both levels. What we believe: The core principle of UnCollege is that people should be empowered to take control of their own choices for learning. Research shows that almost everyone can benefit from taking concentrated time to focus on their learning, discover their talents, and develop professional acumen. The experience-based program we’ve created teaches young adults the practical skills they miss in most conventional classroom settings through a blended approach of self- directed learning, accountability training, mentorship, and deliberate practice. This method, called Supported Self-Directed Learning, equips participants with the essential cognitive skills, confidence, and professional aptitudes they can utilize in all future endeavors.