https://www.semesteroff.com/home daily 1.0 2026-03-04 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c7359a8b10f25809eb66f31/1553513803978-RZH7QR9SUQ2NMNIX1VXP/2018.12.04_Semesteroff-0015-WEB.jpg Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c7359a8b10f25809eb66f31/1553514172525-3W7UO9SJN1XZ2LU3XZ1K/2018.12.04_Semesteroff-0153.jpg Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c7359a8b10f25809eb66f31/1689112851236-YR32WJ2B5DU97PTZ7KZ8/Group%2Bhero%2Bshot%2Boutside%2Bon%2Bbanner%2Bof%2Bhomepage%2Bof%2Bwebsite.jpg Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c7359a8b10f25809eb66f31/1557801103798-88V8BUBU3CZ16HCP5PN1/Semester+Off+is+an+innovative+educational+enrichment+program+changing+lives+of+young+adults Home - Friendship and Teamwork Semester Off was initially crafted for college students taking a semester- or year-long leave of absence from college. Based on our tremendous success helping the college student population, in 2017, we expanded our offerings to include students who are taking a gap year between high school and college and also to students who graduated high school but may be unsure if college is the right path for them. Drawing from Eastern and Western traditions and the most recent advances in mental health care, the Semester Off curriculum provides students with a supportive and challenging environment where they can pause, learn valuable skills, and begin mapping a new trajectory for their academic, social, and professional lives. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c7359a8b10f25809eb66f31/1553853409255-SPXR8MQGDBQLCOCCVDKA/Semester+Off+is+an+innovative+educational+enrichment+program+changing+lives+of+young+adults Home - Serenity and Resilience Through a comprehensive integration of academics, executive functioning skills development, career counseling, yoga, meditation, cardiovascular exercise, community service, and group team-building, we help students to feel more confident and ready to perform to their potential in a college setting, and in life, more generally, while also feeling happier and calmer. We help some of our students determine that going to college right away is not the right path for them. Regardless of their precise next steps, our students learn deeply about themselves, practice new skills, develop resiliency, and emerge as better versions of themselves, all while having fun and making lifelong friends and memories! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c7359a8b10f25809eb66f31/1556113043048-ZL9JOVZUW0NFH8BMYNV6/Semester+Off+is+an+innovative+educational+enrichment+program+changing+lives+of+young+adults Home - Productivity and Maturity We help our students learn and utilize organizational strategies which they then put to use while at Semester Off. Productivity improves, and, in profound ways, we often witness an improvement in distress tolerance and impulse control, as well as a heightened sense of responsibility and accountability to others. Simultaneously, their communication skills and sense of their own inner emotional lives deepens. The result is a student who is wiser, more mature, and more motivated to tackle the diverse challenges of adulthood. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c7359a8b10f25809eb66f31/1557801290780-76SPO7D2ABHIXMB7PVKK/Semester+Off+is+an+innovative+educational+enrichment+program+changing+lives+of+young+adults Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c7359a8b10f25809eb66f31/1556113241666-4BYG631J8K9TEV44FJ2R/Semester+Off+is+an+innovative+educational+enrichment+program+changing+lives+of+young+adults Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c7359a8b10f25809eb66f31/1553513875492-AJMHUUODZT3BWKXTFNXC/ilan-goldberg-MD-founder-semester-off Home - About the Founder Ilan Goldberg, MD, graduated from Amherst College, magna cum laude, with a double major in chemistry and philosophy. He earned his medical degree from McGill University and completed his residency training at Harvard Longwood Psychiatry Residency Training Program (Harvard Medical School). Dr. Goldberg completed a fellowship in medical ethics, also at Harvard Medical School. In the course of his academic career, Dr. Goldberg has been awarded teaching honors from Tufts Medical School and Harvard Medical School for excellence in medical student education. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c7359a8b10f25809eb66f31/1554215689998-KKWGYA2208LGD8OXKC8Q/untitled.jpg Home https://www.semesteroff.com/curriculum-grid daily 0.75 2023-06-09 https://www.semesteroff.com/curriculum-grid/2023/6/9/overcoming-writing-phobia monthly 0.5 2025-06-09 https://www.semesteroff.com/curriculum-grid/2019/4/5/psych-101-general-psychology monthly 0.5 2025-10-22 https://www.semesteroff.com/curriculum-grid/adulting monthly 0.5 2019-05-05 https://www.semesteroff.com/curriculum-grid/2019/4/5/creative-expressions monthly 0.5 2019-05-05 https://www.semesteroff.com/curriculum-grid/2019/4/5/how-to-succeed-in-college-executive-functioning-workshop monthly 0.5 2019-05-15 https://www.semesteroff.com/curriculum-grid/cbt-workshop monthly 0.5 2019-05-05 https://www.semesteroff.com/curriculum-grid/reflections monthly 0.5 2019-05-13 https://www.semesteroff.com/curriculum-grid/yoga-and-guided-meditation monthly 0.5 2025-12-02 https://www.semesteroff.com/curriculum-grid/2019/4/5/healthy-body-healthy-mind monthly 0.5 2019-05-13 https://www.semesteroff.com/curriculum-grid/community-service monthly 0.5 2019-05-13 https://www.semesteroff.com/curriculum-grid/2019/4/5/exercise-c2nlg-cere9-j46cb monthly 0.5 2019-04-09 https://www.semesteroff.com/curriculum-grid/2019/4/5/exercise monthly 0.5 2019-05-05 https://www.semesteroff.com/our-approach daily 0.75 2022-11-16 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c7359a8b10f25809eb66f31/1554765094749-PEM81GAHJN6KQGXYYIJN/2018.12.04_Semesteroff-0150.jpg Our Approach https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c7359a8b10f25809eb66f31/1557836000325-7ZTW0CMHDELMUG80YIVN/Semester%2BOff%2Bis%2Ban%2Binnovative%2Beducational%2Benrichment%2Bprogram%2Bchanging%2Blives%2Bof%2Byoung%2Badults Our Approach - about Us Our staff is a collection of teachers, clinicians, fitness gurus, yogis, and career counselors who all see ourselves as master educators dedicated to working with this specific population of 17-25 year-olds. We all believe that the traditional learning environment in college can ruthlessly leave behind many students if the student is not prepared for the social, emotional, academic, and organizational rigors inherent in the college experience. We are exceptionally kind and student-focused and strive to be nonjudgmental in our approach. We take our responsibility as educators and role models with the utmost of seriousness while also keeping things light and playful as much as possible at Semester Off. We often relate to our students in overt ways, and we speak of our own struggles and the ways in which we have been able to conquer our own demons. Every one of our students knows that they matter to us and that we are truly “in it” with them. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c7359a8b10f25809eb66f31/1557908820171-DYJOZ9OW9FYWI0D87SFC/SO+2+students+leading+blindfolded+student+outside.jpg Our Approach - Methodology In our teaching, we utilize traditional university techniques (e.g., didactic lectures and the Harkness method), as well as a more cutting-edge technique known as experiential learning. The “feel” around Semester Off is positive, vibrant, and future-oriented. We are highly collaborative as a staff and with our students and treat our students as the “emerging adults” they are. We employ a strengths-based, positive psychology along with a “growth mindset” on a daily basis. We also believe that there is a special kind of wisdom that peers can give one another, and we respect our students’ thoughts and positions and encourage them to help their peers whenever they are able to do so. https://www.semesteroff.com/our-students daily 0.75 2023-02-01 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c7359a8b10f25809eb66f31/1554478840604-7Q5P71HLCRPUK0CYQDWZ/2018.12.04_Semesteroff-0156.jpg Our Students https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c7359a8b10f25809eb66f31/1554765795079-XROY4IU1CBT8ETM4W210/semesteroff-students-gap-year-experience Our Students Our programming at Semester Off has been designed with two distinct student populations in mind. The first population are those students who have tried but have been unsuccessful at navigating the various stressors and challenges which have come their way in college. The second population are those students who have recently graduated high school, but who know that they lack the tools they need in order to thrive and be happy in college. With regards to students who have already attempted college or who experienced considerable hardships in high school, we work with the student and family to figure out where the student struggled most. For this reason, we seek students who are motivated to undergo this exploratory process with us. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c7359a8b10f25809eb66f31/1557843789838-XUCCJEQ9WTL14INOH0SF/SO+cropped+outdoor+group+shot+on+ground+with+ropes+and+helmets.JPG Our Students Some of the most common reasons a student may enroll at Semester Off include the following (note that this is not an exhaustive list): - Low motivation to pursue school or work opportunities - Missing class, failure to submit assignments - High social anxiety - Difficulty making life transitions and adjustment issues - Low self-advocacy skills - ADHD and/or executive functioning deficits - Excessive avoidant tendencies which may include excessive digital technology use - Low moods, high anxiety, low self-esteem - Entitlement - Substance Use Disorders - Bipolar Disorder - Eating Disorders - Oppositionality or challenges accepting guidance from teachers, tutors, therapists, parents, or others - Learning differences/challenges - Negative peer group - Autism Spectrum Disorder (mild), Nonverbal Learning Disorder, other pragmatic language impairment - Grief, trauma, loss https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c7359a8b10f25809eb66f31/1554763720862-LBVBCATQF31NUSHLF6BE/Semesteroff-students-gap-year Our Students Our students tend to be sensitive and kind but at a loss. They yearn to do better but do not know how. They are often intelligent, funny, creative, and sincere. They sometimes feel bankrupt of all motivation and wonder if they will ever find their way and understand what it is they are supposed to do with their lives. At Semester Off, we actively hand-select a group of students each semester that will ask these important questions with openness, support one another, and challenge one another while forging a lasting bond. https://www.semesteroff.com/our-programs daily 0.75 2026-01-06 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c7359a8b10f25809eb66f31/1557802467777-DK811JL4LD22F7TRPLVW/SO+students+doing+yoga+at+Walden+Pond+copy.jpg Our Programs https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c7359a8b10f25809eb66f31/1554765900634-I0ZUA2W04SV4SO3K55AA/semesteroff-students-gap-year-experience Our Programs - Full semester experience The Original Program 20-25 hours per week of robust programming for the student seeking our full range of offerings. Designed for recent HS graduates and college students. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c7359a8b10f25809eb66f31/1554765950772-K0NKHKE0RSBFRFESS8GP/semesteroff-students-gap-year-experience Our Programs - part-time semester experience A customized, part-time experience is crafted with the particular student’s most pressing needs in mind. Typically, students who pursue this option fall into one of the following categories: • They have already completed the Full Semester Experience, or they wish to join Semester Off significantly after the start of our semester. • They live 1+ hour away and commuting 5 days/week to Wellesley is prohibitive. • They have other concurrent responsibilities (e.g., a job or internship). https://www.semesteroff.com/our-team daily 0.75 2025-10-22 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c7359a8b10f25809eb66f31/1554474960476-CWIREXA4R3E14W0ORZAT/ilan-goldberg-MD-founder-semester-off Our Team - DR. Ilan Goldberg Founder and President Ilan Goldberg, MD, graduated from Amherst College, magna cum laude, with a double major in Chemistry and Philosophy. He earned his medical degree from McGill University and completed his residency training at Harvard Longwood Psychiatry Residency Training Program (Harvard Medical School). Dr. Goldberg completed a fellowship in medical ethics, also at Harvard Medical School. In the course of his academic career, Dr. Goldberg has been awarded teaching honors from Tufts Medical School and Harvard Medical School for excellence in medical student education. In his personal time, Dr. Goldberg is most commonly found supporting his children in their various curricular and extracurricular endeavors, groaning about the NY Giants (it’s been a tough decade-plus!), and going down internet rabbit holes related to cosmology and astrophysics. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c7359a8b10f25809eb66f31/bab9a949-d38a-48cb-a33a-5fab0c4e70d7/Melissa+Baroff+headshot+for+website.png Our Team - melissa baroff, ph.d. Instructor Melissa Baroff, Ph.D., graduated from Northwestern University with a BA in Classics. She then earned her Ph.D. in Classical Studies from Duke University. During her tenure at Duke, Melissa taught a variety of courses to middle school, high school, and university students including courses related to history, gender, literature, and democracy. Melissa has also contributed to pedagogical research and development for the St. Louis Art Museum, the Women’s Classical Caucus, and Duke Graduate school. A proud New Englander, Melissa grew up in New Hampshire and graduated from Phillips Exeter Academy. She attended a variety of summer camps as a child and particularly enjoys playing tennis, hiking, and jogging. When not working with students or reading ancient texts, Melissa enjoys sewing and spending time with her dog, Billie. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c7359a8b10f25809eb66f31/4afec879-1eb2-4a03-a0bb-3ddc4bb2224a/Elizabeth+Brogden+website+headshot.jpg Our Team - elizabeth brogden, ph.d. Instructor Elizabeth Brogden, Ph.D., graduated from Barnard College with a BA in English and subsequently earned her MA and Ph.D. in literature from Johns Hopkins University. She has taught and tutored writing at the college and graduate level for over a decade at institutions in the US and Germany, including Johns Hopkins, University of Munich, Rhode Island School of Design, Harvard University Extension School, and Harvard Medical School. Elizabeth’s own scholarship and essays have appeared in a variety of print and online journals. In addition to her role at Semester Off, Elizabeth works as a freelance editor and is the mother of a young girl. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, traveling, and collecting "treasures" with her daughter on long strolls in Cambridge, MA. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c7359a8b10f25809eb66f31/1554475752832-BCDM11MU3080WI8AZO35/jessica-cronin-instructor-semester-off Our Team - Jessica connors, MA Instructor Jessica Connors, MA, graduated from the University of Washington with a BA in European Studies. Jessica has always valued physical fitness and exercise and served as a certified personal trainer, as well as a group fitness instructor while she was living in Seattle, San Diego, and Florida. These experiences allowed her to connect deeply with her clients and inspire positive change in their behaviors and routines. She obtained her MA in English Literature and Creative Writing from Southern New Hampshire University and has taught English and traveled extensively in the continental United States and abroad. More recently, Jessica completed an intensive, 14-month program at Landmark College (Putney, VT) designed for teachers and other professionals, earning a Certificate in Learning Differences and Neurodiversity with a specialization in Executive Function. Jessica has been very active in CrossFit as a participant and as a coach. She maintains a book review blog, reads all genres of fiction avidly, and is writing a murder-mystery novel. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c7359a8b10f25809eb66f31/1631476312200-UNQVUDS2B2724YZT0BDF/Jacki+Rubin+faceshot+%28initial%29.JPG Our Team - Jacki rubin, ms (on maternity leave) Instructor Jacki Rubin, MS, pursued both her BA and MS degrees in Communication Sciences and Disorders at the University of Florida. She weaves her passion for yoga and nervous system regulation with her knowledge of speech, language, and social communication in her work as a Speech Language Pathologist. As a natural healer and educator, she creates space for clients of all backgrounds to feel safe and supported. Her research-based practice is most influenced by the work of Dr. Steven Porges (the Polyvagal Theory), Dr. Shari Geller (Therapeutic Presence), and Marshall B. Rosenberg (Nonviolent Communication). Jacki is a registered 200-hour Yoga Instructor and received yoga teacher training at The New School of Yogic Arts in Brookline, MA. She is also certified by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. Outside of work, Jacki enjoys yoga, live music, expressive writing, pottery, and art. She feels fulfilled by quality time with her husband, pup, and friends. Being in nature feels grounding and acts as a much appreciated contrast to her busy lifestyle in the city. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c7359a8b10f25809eb66f31/45f65e57-c540-4e26-bebe-49bf5cc44d49/SO+Meredith+Wadsworth+headshot+for+website.png Our Team - meredith wadsworth, BA Instructor Meredith Wadsworth, BA, graduated from the University of Virginia with a major in Media Studies and a minor in Entrepreneurship. She spent several years working in the fashion industry in New York City before pivoting into the world of health and wellness. She became certified as an Integrative Nutrition Health Coach (INHC) and Integrative Health Practitioner (IHP) and began working with individuals to create improvements in their health and wellbeing. She completed her 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training in 2019 and has since acquired thousands of hours of experience teaching to groups and individuals, all in the spirit of helping others to feel more embodied and empowered while experiencing more joy and vitality. In addition to her career teaching yoga and coaching, Meredith is a ceramic artist with a studio in Brookline. She is continually exploring the myriad of ways that these ancient and therapeutic practices of yoga and pottery can promote self-awareness, self-discovery, and self-expression. Meredith grew up in Wellesley and now lives in Boston's South End. When she's not in the yoga or pottery studio, she enjoys spending time with her family and friends, biking around the city, cooking, reading, listening to podcasts, spending time in nature, and traveling, near and far. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c7359a8b10f25809eb66f31/1554475872511-N9ZY7GQF74S9MSG5FFUO/abigail-crine-career-counselor-semester-off Our Team - Abigail Crine, ph.d. Career Counselor In addition to her role at Semester Off, Abigail has served as the Assistant Director of Career Development at the Hiatt Career Center at Brandeis University. Abigail Crine, Ph.D., holds the following degrees: BA, English and psychology, UMass, Boston; MEd, counseling and guidance, Westfield State University; and PhD, clinical psychology, California Graduate School for Family and Marital Therapy. Dr. Crine has been incorporating a newer career counseling approach developed at Stanford’s Life Design Lab, Designing Your Life, which applies design thinking to help an individual figure out their career path. She enjoys employing this cutting-edge approach with our Semester Off students. https://www.semesteroff.com/curriculum daily 0.75 2026-01-06 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c7359a8b10f25809eb66f31/1554765029925-KQ98F48UQUSJI3PFRY9P/2018.12.04_Semesteroff-0146.jpg Curriculum https://www.semesteroff.com/press daily 0.75 2019-05-04 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c7359a8b10f25809eb66f31/1554808483410-9D42QOC0J1B5OAX7D3AN/2018.12.04_Semesteroff-0129-2.jpg In The Press https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c7359a8b10f25809eb66f31/1556114654448-KQFBA6EDEFY4A2PHE0PC/pressArtboard+2.jpg In The Press - ‘Semester Off’ in Wellesley takes holistic approach https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c7359a8b10f25809eb66f31/1556114654852-QHIDL00A4QRPAUUCV99M/pressArtboard+3.jpg In The Press - Semester Off offers options for graduating high schoolers https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c7359a8b10f25809eb66f31/1556114655052-JCY6SJSOUS24BQLAQHVR/pressArtboard+4.jpg In The Press - Important questions you should ask before sending your child off to college https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c7359a8b10f25809eb66f31/1556114654125-X0H6GFVFZJ22FP7A0GJS/pressArtboard+1.jpg In The Press - Semester Off program in Wellesley, Mass. helps students find their footing https://www.semesteroff.com/full-semester-experience daily 0.75 2026-01-06 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c7359a8b10f25809eb66f31/1556119076456-QU6YEPQP67Y5KE2MLD0B/2018.12.04_Semesteroff-0046.jpg Full Semester Experience https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c7359a8b10f25809eb66f31/1557803097736-6PXPLA1WM8Q9OSSN0G56/Semester+Off+is+an+innovative+educational+enrichment+program+changing+lives+of+young+adults Full Semester Experience - Description and Pricing The Original Program 20-25 hours per week of robust programming for the student seeking our full range of offerings. Designed for recent HS graduates and college students. The day begins at 9:00 AM, Monday through Friday, and structured programming ends at 3:00 PM on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays and 12:00 PM (noon) on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Staff is present and available until 5:00 PM most weekdays to meet with students on an individual basis. Rates: Summer Semester — 8 weeks duration $14,760 Fall and Spring Semesters — 14 weeks duration $18,940 https://www.semesteroff.com/outcomes daily 0.75 2019-03-21 https://www.semesteroff.com/history-and-mission daily 0.75 2025-10-22 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c7359a8b10f25809eb66f31/1556192707451-ZUAU8GWGZ4GLRD7I8OEL/SO+yoga+silhouette+by+Kristin+Chalmers.jpg History and Mission https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c7359a8b10f25809eb66f31/1556198743466-DUM0WMRW70Z12EZXBQOE/Semester+Off+is+an+innovative+educational+enrichment+program+changing+lives+of+young+adults History and Mission Our mission is to create a life-changing experience that empowers each student either to complete college or to define another, alternative path which is more in line with his/her/their talents, future goals, and objectives. We also seek to help recent high school graduates gain the necessary skills and awareness so that they can successfully navigate their first year in college. A core belief at Semester Off is that each of our students has the inner potential to succeed given the right environment. For some, this means a more compassionate and empathic learning milieu to improve confidence and self-esteem. For others, this means a more structured setting where expectations are clear and high standards of personal and academic conduct are instilled. For all of our students, we provide a respectful, nurturing space for learning and self-reflection and create a social latticework within which our students develop a sense of belonging and connection. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c7359a8b10f25809eb66f31/1557834808597-LIJR32JLK1W50DP1HOAV/Semester%2BOff%2Bis%2Ban%2Binnovative%2Beducational%2Benrichment%2Bprogram%2Bchanging%2Blives%2Bof%2Byoung%2Badults History and Mission We are tireless and relentless in our efforts to help our students. In addition to open, honest, respectful, and empathic connections we form with our students, we are constantly brainstorming new and innovative ways to help each of them in their journeys. While providing our students with the exact kind of safe space they need to be better students, we also endeavor to make each of them better humans. We want them to feel improved and more confident in every aspect of their lives, including in their friendships, their relationships with their families, and their relationship with themselves. Our broader mission is to transform and disrupt the entire notion, and stigma around, the “ideal college experience” as defined by a student immediately attending college after high school and graduating four years later. While this path may be right for some or even many students, it is certainly not right for everyone, and there is nothing fundamentally wrong with the student whose path diverges. In fact, we want our students to know that it is quite wonderful that they have this opportunity to learn about themselves and develop in deep ways outside of the traditional university classroom. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c7359a8b10f25809eb66f31/1557801599891-MDEWY9PC7P9HVEHLRSED/ilan-goldberg-MD-founder-semester-off History and Mission - the Beginning The conceptualization of Semester Off began in 2011 when our Founder, Ilan P. Goldberg, MD, a board-certified psychiatrist, realized that there was a striking lack of services available to the struggling 18-25 year-old population who needed to take a break from college but did not meet criteria for intensive mental health programs. In the course of his outpatient work with these individuals, in which he provided individual psychotherapy as well as psychopharmacology treatments, Dr. Goldberg realized the limitations of these interventions and the slow rate-of-change of the improvement in his patients. He also came to realize that these students cannot truly become better students when they are not attending any kind of college whatsoever and that removing them altogether from academics worsens the phobia and avoidance for many of them. Furthermore, for many of his patients, the primary stressor was school or school-related, so fixing the problem cannot and should not entail removing them from all academic stress indefinitely with the hope that they will gain skills in other contexts which they will ultimately apply to school if or when they return. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c7359a8b10f25809eb66f31/1554477780654-22UZ254D6Y7J4B50YVU0/Semester+Off+is+an+innovative+educational+enrichment+program+changing+lives+of+young+adults History and Mission At that time, more and more literature was being published in Western medical journals about the healing effects of yoga and meditation, including their benefits on mood, anxiety, sleep, energy, and focus. He educated himself about the roots of executive functioning issues and how to teach organizational and time-management skills to people for whom these skills do not come naturally. Dr. Goldberg reflected on his own life and what helped him overcome obstacles in adolescence and early adulthood: participating in sports teams, being a member of musical groups and theater, attending a summer sleep-away camp for many summers, and building friendships in these settings. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c7359a8b10f25809eb66f31/1554477651627-QQM49IJT6PO248KVL6QN/Semester+Off+is+an+innovative+educational+enrichment+program+changing+lives+of+young+adults History and Mission At any age, the vast majority of us need to feel connected to others and need to feel that we and what we are doing truly matters. This is particularly true of the late adolescent and “emerging adult” population. In putting these assorted pieces together, Dr. Goldberg realized that the ideal program and group setting for the 18-25 year-olds he was seeing in his practice did not yet exist. The ideal program would take the best that the worlds of wellness (exercise, yoga, meditation, healthy eating), mental health (empathy and support while also challenging pre-existing beliefs about oneself and others leading to genuine confidence and healthy self-esteem), and academia (stimulating intellectual curiosity, helping develop strong executive functioning and other academic skills), and it would integrate these things in a seamless and coherent manner. The ideal program would be fun, but also intensely revealing, and would be memory-making! The ideal program would provide the right peer group of age-matched classmates who have struggled in similar ways as one another and to a similar degree and would provide the opportunity for students to make lifelong friendships! After a three year period of conceptualization and countless meetings with administrators from many colleges and universities in the Greater Boston area, as well as mental health practitioners, life coaches, and others, Semester Off opened its doors in January 2015. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c7359a8b10f25809eb66f31/1554477667127-0R0EVDVIO7R01FL6KAJ6/Semester+Off+is+an+innovative+educational+enrichment+program+changing+lives+of+young+adults History and Mission - and off we go! Since January 2015, Semester Off has run continuously at our headquarters in Wellesley, Massachusetts, offering three semesters each year (spring, summer, and fall), and over 400 students have participated! Our students have experienced this unique admixture of fun, deep personal growth, feeling understood, and improved confidence all while gaining concrete academic and life skills and practicing healthy habits of daily living. They have returned to college and performed better than they had ever performed in their lives, have strengthened their relationships with friends and family, and they have a restored sense of competence, agency, and resiliency. https://www.semesteroff.com/contact daily 0.75 2026-01-06 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c7359a8b10f25809eb66f31/1557806771637-1X2H50MEBQ7FP5PLI2TQ/untitled.jpg Contact https://www.semesteroff.com/privacy-policy daily 0.75 2019-05-02 https://www.semesteroff.com/faq daily 0.75 2025-03-03 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c7359a8b10f25809eb66f31/1554476063223-A0EA65Z6GU44095SM7DS/colour-03.jpg FAQ https://www.semesteroff.com/internship-and-teaching-assistant-ta-opportunities daily 0.75 2026-01-06 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c7359a8b10f25809eb66f31/1554802150859-B9Y0XSV54HHG22CC51VZ/SO+outdoor+leaning+exercise+on+tightropes2.jpg Internship and Teaching Assistant (TA) Opportunities https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c7359a8b10f25809eb66f31/1557803752767-VXKU77TP89YESAD0PAFB/Semester+Off+is+an+innovative+educational+enrichment+program+changing+lives+of+young+adults Internship and Teaching Assistant (TA) Opportunities We are blessed at Semester Off to be able to work with so many incredible students who have turned important corners in their lives while with us. We also know that there is a particular gravitas and intensity when a peer gives another peer advice and mentorship, and we want to leverage the talents and the dynamism of our former students to help our current students through this difficult period in their lives. So, over the course of our 20+ semesters, we have invited back over a dozen former Semester Off students to serve in various roles in our community in both paid and unpaid positions. These former Semester Off students have demonstrated impressive maturity, motivation, communication skills, teamwork, and kindness during their semester with us and have returned to college and demonstrated success, not only academically, but also socially and with achieving balance with their own self-care needs. These former Semester Off students are sources of inspiration and role models for our entire community, and we have given them the following opportunities and platforms to positively influence our current students: - Internships - Teaching Assistantships (TA) - Guest lecturers (a recent topic: Stoic Philosophy) - Behavioral / Life Coaches These internship and other opportunities are only available to our former students, and students are hand-selected for these roles. Former Interns and TA’s at Semester Off have ultimately pursued masters and doctorate degrees in special education, mental health counseling, and psychology, and our Founder, Dr. Goldberg, has written many letters of recommendation on their behalf. It is a distinct pleasure watching our former students, who once struggled, thrive in this way and share their unique perspectives as they, themselves, pursue careers in the healing professions! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c7359a8b10f25809eb66f31/1554805589184-H20SLMSOT6NCGXVLBNZZ/SO+Exterior+photo--this+is+what+the+outside+of+our+building+looks+like.jpg Internship and Teaching Assistant (TA) Opportunities https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c7359a8b10f25809eb66f31/1554805588697-DY8N9CD1I9BM54VGBOEN/SO+3-legged+race.jpg Internship and Teaching Assistant (TA) Opportunities https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c7359a8b10f25809eb66f31/1554805596285-L34XYIQ8JGEC7SLDMLR6/SO+Stephanie+Lucero+with+MK+%28color%29+laughing+shot+by+Kristin+Chalmers.jpg Internship and Teaching Assistant (TA) Opportunities https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c7359a8b10f25809eb66f31/1554805591472-0EHD788D5UHHZPOXUI22/SO+female+student+outside+with+tongue+out.jpg Internship and Teaching Assistant (TA) Opportunities https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c7359a8b10f25809eb66f31/1554805599425-JRBU9M7Z87NRHD91P1JA/SO+6+students+meditating+shot+by+Kristin+Chalmers-s.jpg Internship and Teaching Assistant (TA) Opportunities https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c7359a8b10f25809eb66f31/1554805593388-W45H16YBOMJXB0XEOLBE/SO+jumping+on+trampolines.jpg Internship and Teaching Assistant (TA) Opportunities https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c7359a8b10f25809eb66f31/1554805596708-XX8F0FVIGITH4Y1W03S7/SO+student+inside+blindfolded.jpg Internship and Teaching Assistant (TA) Opportunities https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c7359a8b10f25809eb66f31/1554805598998-UTHYT3ZDELWK7VYJBML1/SO+yoga+silhouette+by+Kristin+Chalmers.jpg Internship and Teaching Assistant (TA) Opportunities https://www.semesteroff.com/part-time-semester-experience daily 0.75 2026-01-06 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c7359a8b10f25809eb66f31/1554764512977-K5IAG1WYPT5NRXO0LLM2/2018.12.04_Semesteroff-0051.jpg Part-Time Semester Experience https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c7359a8b10f25809eb66f31/1557806054227-WCTJ4337FANEC1J8YOJ1/Semester+Off+is+an+innovative+educational+enrichment+program+changing+lives+of+young+adults Part-Time Semester Experience - How it works A customized, part-time experience is crafted with the particular student’s most pressing needs in mind. Typically, students who pursue this option fall into one of the following categories: • They have already completed the Full Semester Experience, or they wish to join Semester Off significantly after the start of our semester. • They live 1+ hour away and commuting 5 days/week to Wellesley is prohibitive. • They have other concurrent responsibilities (e.g., a job or internship). Rates: Part-time Semester Experiences have ranged from 2-15 hours per week, and pricing varies based on the particular student’s engagement at Semester Off. $2,000 - $15,000. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c7359a8b10f25809eb66f31/1554805828794-HULVSZM9O0J1SV2B0CIC/2018.12.04_Semesteroff-0014-s.jpg Part-Time Semester Experience https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c7359a8b10f25809eb66f31/1554805830986-UH6F6CPS1ZHEA98WW247/2018.12.04_Semesteroff-0080.jpg Part-Time Semester Experience https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c7359a8b10f25809eb66f31/1554805854304-HB1LOWWHAZH656HDJI6Z/2018.12.04_Semesteroff-0169.jpg Part-Time Semester Experience https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c7359a8b10f25809eb66f31/1554805856470-UUUTXKHDZF9PACNFXG8V/2018.12.04_Semesteroff-0177.jpg Part-Time Semester Experience https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c7359a8b10f25809eb66f31/1554805837185-IWR4AX526AGYUMOAO4QP/2018.12.04_Semesteroff-0083.jpg Part-Time Semester Experience https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c7359a8b10f25809eb66f31/1554805843465-WWSX4C4IV7C38D0QJFB9/2018.12.04_Semesteroff-0109.jpg Part-Time Semester Experience https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c7359a8b10f25809eb66f31/1554805850261-2E152VXYHTWT00YZO18Z/2018.12.04_Semesteroff-0153.jpg Part-Time Semester Experience https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c7359a8b10f25809eb66f31/1554805860898-6BQA14JQUVMPFMIL9CT3/2018.12.04_Semesteroff-0048.jpg Part-Time Semester Experience https://www.semesteroff.com/our-approach-1 daily 0.75 2019-04-24 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c7359a8b10f25809eb66f31/1554765094749-PEM81GAHJN6KQGXYYIJN/2018.12.04_Semesteroff-0150.jpg Copy of Our Approach https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c7359a8b10f25809eb66f31/1554763281293-1ZC3E55RYHRGYXNZHQYH/Semester-off-student-gap-year Copy of Our Approach - about (better title) Our staff is a collection of teachers, clinicians, fitness gurus, yogis, and career counselors who all see ourselves as master educators dedicated to working with this specific population of 16-25 year olds. We all believe that the traditional learning environment in college can ruthlessly leave behind many students if the student is not prepared for the social, emotional, academic, and organizational rigors inherent to the college experience. We are exceptionally kind and student-focused and strive to be nonjudgmental in our approach. We take our responsibility as educators and role models with the utmost of seriousness while also keeping things light and playful as much as possible at Semester Off. We often relate to our students in overt ways and we speak of our own struggles and the ways in which we have been able to overcome our own demons. Every one of our students knows that they matter to us and that we are truly “in it” with them. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c7359a8b10f25809eb66f31/1554762348014-4KCCWR56P43U7H9QOBDR/Semester-off-methodology Copy of Our Approach - Methodology In our teaching we utilize traditional university techniques (e.g., didactic lectures and the Harkness method), as well as a more cutting-edge technique known as experiential learning. The “feel” around Semester Off is positive, vibrant, and future-oriented. We are highly collaborative as a staff and with our students and treat our students as the “emerging adults” they are. We employ a strengths-based, positive psychology along with a “growth mindset” on a daily basis. We also believe that there is a special kind of wisdom that peers can give one another, and we respect our students’ thoughts and positions and encourage them to help their peers whenever they are able to do so. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c7359a8b10f25809eb66f31/1554806276528-QEZBBEAWAH5WDQVDNEO0/Semester-off-students Copy of Our Approach - fall and spring Semesters During our fall and spring semesters, we work with students who have tried attending college on one or more occasions and have been unsuccessful, or students who are taking a “gap” year after high school graduation. Our full-semester groups have successfully blended students of all ages and genders within the 17-25 year old range in the past. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c7359a8b10f25809eb66f31/1554220245967-VEHPXB6JN8E56Y0DBHLT/SO+student+outside+smiling+with+umbrella-c.jpg Copy of Our Approach - Summer semester During our summer semester, in addition to those students described above, we invite rising seniors in high school (i.e., students who have completed their junior year of high school) to enroll in our offerings. Typically, the best options for these students are our shorter, crash courses. We also offer a full semester experience in the summer, as well. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c7359a8b10f25809eb66f31/1554763035186-P6XCQQPOJGF1NH98S315/Semester-off-student-mission Copy of Our Approach Our mission is to create a life-changing experience that empowers each student either to complete college or to define another, alternative path which is more in line with his/her/their talents, future goals, and objectives. We also seek to help rising high school seniors and recent high school graduates gain the necessary skills and awareness so that they can successfully navigate their first year in college. A core belief at Semester Off is that each of our students has the inner potential to succeed given the right environment. For some, this means a more compassionate and empathic learning milieu to improve confidence and self-esteem. For others, this means a more structured setting where expectations are clear and high standards of personal and academic conduct are instilled. For all of our students, we provide a respectful, nurturing space for learning and self-reflection and create a social latticework within which our students develop a sense of belonging and connection. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c7359a8b10f25809eb66f31/1554763588177-BUIAFTT17KH8ZS224ICY/Semesteroff-students-college Copy of Our Approach We are tireless and relentless in our efforts to help our students. In addition to open, honest, respectful, and empathic connections we form with our students, we are constantly brainstorming new and innovative ways to help each of them in their journeys. In addition to providing them with the exact kind of safe space our students need to be better students, we endeavor to make each of them better humans. We want them to feel improved and more confident in every aspect of their lives, including in their friendships, their relationships with their families, and their relationship with themselves. Our broader mission is to transform and disrupt the entire notion, and stigma around, the “ideal college experience” as defined by a student immediately attending college after high school and graduating four years later. While this path may be right for some or even many students, it is certainly not right for everyone, and there is nothing fundamentally wrong with the student whose path diverges. In fact, we want our students to know that it is quite wonderful that they have this opportunity to learn about themselves and develop in deep ways outside of the traditional university classroom. https://www.semesteroff.com/covid19-update-details daily 0.75 2026-01-06 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c7359a8b10f25809eb66f31/1597941338572-PY5XRPVRTDF7GIYWRY5C/SO+staff+outdoor+classroom.jpg COVID-19 Update details https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c7359a8b10f25809eb66f31/1597941767709-TJRPVTCCHK703FVXIUE2/SO+outdoor+classroom.JPG COVID-19 Update details https://www.semesteroff.com/new-page-1 daily 0.75 2020-06-12