I have an interesting insight into Dynamy and how amazing it is. My experience with Dynamy began almost ten years ago when I hosted my first intern from the program at a psychiatric facility I was overseeing. From my first experience with Dynamy, I could tell they truly cared about the students, the community and those they worked with. I loved it so much, that I eventually went to work for Dynamy. I spent 4 1/2 years there working with students, overseeing residential life and strengthening our bonds in the community. The culture, team and students made this easily some of the most memorable and enjoyable moments of my professional life. Fortunately and unfortunately, I moved on to pursue my bigger career aspirations. However, in my new role as a Director for a local Worcester technology company, I have made sure to maintain the connection to Dynamy. We host at least two interns per semester and the communication, follow through and genuine caring of the Dynamy staff toward the students and internship sponsors is still astounding. We love working with Dynamy and the interns have helped transform the way we are able to do business. Students work on web design, graphic design, content creation and more. Although I don't work at Dynamy anymore, I still consider it a second home. If you or your son or daughter are considering a gap year program, then Dynamy should be the first place you check out. read more

Our son just complete a full year experience at Dynamy. I cannot say enough positive about the program. It was just the right balance of support for growth in independence with scaffolding. Marcus had a great internship experience and learned much about himself as a member of the community in the process. read more

Mixed review but in short, we would have our daughter (trans female , HFA/Asperger's) do it again. If your kid doesn't want to gap year out of the country or in the woods there are not many choices besides Dynamy. She only did spring semester. Positives: pre-camping experience was amazing/powerful/beautiful. It Would have been much more enjoyable in August (she did snow camping that really cold week in January.) We always felt like she was safe in her apartment and in the city of Worster. The logistics of moving in and living in an apartment were very easy. From a parents perspective is was well organized. She learned to navigate the city bus with confidence, she learned the consequences of not showing up and not calling (she got 'fired.'). The staff helped her find another internship which she loved (Jeremiah's Inn food pantry.) The Clark classes were easy college credits to earn. Negatives: My daughter said the weekly workshops were useless. They didn't do any group cooking. All the kids complained that $150 wasn't enough to buy food/toiletries and still have money to do activities in the weekend. (I said, cook more Dash less.) Too much alone time online in her room. The weekly activities were not very appealing. Overall a good safe program but not nearly as good as the sales pitch makes it out to be. I wish they charged a few hundred to $1,000 more and organized some fun group outings and had group dinner several nights per week. My kid was more likely to show up to the events with free food but it was usually just snacks or pizza. My kid would go bowling or to a concert if the group was going but she is never going to plan and pay for it on her own. Hence, she didn't do much in Worster except work, take the bus and go to the grocery store. We are 12 months post-Dynamy and she just finished her first year of college. She said Dynamy was harder than living in a dorm. Getting her own food and taking the bus was a lot. read more

Dynamy was truly one of the worst experiences of my life. When first coming to this program, I was hopeful, because the mission of the program is fundamentally strong, and I thought it would benefit me. However, upon getting here, I was SORELY mistaken. For starters, the housing situation is absolutely miserable. If you have the misfortune of something going wrong in your house, which you most likely will considering Dynamy doesn't maintain their property to any sort of standard, good luck getting it fixed. Me and my housemates have put in a collective 20+ tickets to get things fixed throughout the FOUR MONTHS we have been here, and MAYBE four got fixed. On top of this, we've had our house broken into on numerous occasions, and Dynamy staff have made ZERO effort to increase the safety of the house. Additionally, the drywall is actively falling off of the ceilings and walls, and the tap water is the least clean I've ever had in my life. Next, staff incompetence is so mind blowing it's genuinely impressive this program is still in existence. The staff refuse to accept any sort of feedback whatsoever, and any time a student has a complaint, it gets brushed off or met with aggression. They choose to punish people only when their ego is hurt or they physically see a punishable issue. They have ignored photo evidence for numerous things, and they choose to remain complicit with the multiple felonies that are happening on Dynamy property. Despite having a no alcohol policy, it's impossible for me to go more than 24 hours without being offered a drink. The Dynamy staff is aware of a massive alcohol and drug issue on campus, and take no active steps to avoid, and in some cases staff are known to drink or smoke with students. The program director, is egotistical and complacent, refusing to do anything about any sort of issue as mentioned before. He fails to intervene with any issues, and chooses to use the information he gathers to use as punitive measures against those who bruise his ego. A lot of people who go to this program are mentally ill in some way shape or form, which is the reason a lot of people come here in the first place, aiming to grow and reintegrate into society. Dynamy is aware of this, and has no effective procedures in place to actively facilitate in ways that are necessary for this type of person. While they do offer a passive reintegration method, it incentivizes a mentality of pushing the issue further down the road and never ending up dealing with it, and if it's impossible to not push the issue down the road, they just kick you out. In all, DO NOT COME TO DYNAMY. YOU WILL BE WASTING YOUR 20,000$. There are multiple VERY GOOD alternatives for gap year programs, or other great plans that you could make for the same cost if not less. Dynamy, if you see this, please fix your program. The idea behind it is great but your execution is so horrible, literally everyone I've spoken to during my time here despises it as much as me. read more

My daughter chose to attend Dynamy after graduating from a PG year at her high school. I was not sure what to expect, but it turned out to be the best decision for her. She learned to live independently, with roommates and cook her own meals. She also successfully worked in more than 4 organizations of her choosing. That meant she needed to wake up and be dressed and out the door four days a week. She also made friends and had to learn how to co exist with new people. The staff at Dynamy were a perfect fit for my daughter. They were supportive and experts in their fields. Worcester, MA is easy to navigate and the neighborhood and apartments were very suitable and well located. I highly recommend this program for students who may not be fully ready to go to college, and want to gain valuable life and executive functioning skills. read more

What an incredibly terrible program. If you are hoping your child will gain independence do not send them here. The kids are treated terribly. The staff is rude and demoralizing. Do not send your child here. It is absolutely a waste of money. There is no sense of independence or privacy staff are intrusive and will treat your children like they are in 1rst grade. Only setting them up for faliure when they have to live on their own. Not to mention the fact that you have chores and are reprimanded like an elementary kid. This program is flawed and seriously like a social experiment. They brand it like a gap year program but this not, this is an awful program. If you care about the wellbeing of your children do not send them here. They will be very unhappy. Not to mention the fact that family is not allowed to visit they seculde the kids and treat them inhumanely. read more

What an amazing program. So glad we discovered it after my child's first year of college didn't go as expected. I wish more people knew about the amazing alternative options such as this to help bridge the gap between high school and what comes next. read more

I took a gap year between high school and college and it was so helpful to me. Dynamy was exactly what I needed. I got to practice living as an adult but with a safety net if I needed it. I also was given the opportunity to explore interests of mine which helped me realize a direction for my life. Because of Dynamy and the break from school, I've been able to jump into college and academics in a way that I was never able to do in grade school. I highly recommend a gap year. read more

I was a former student of the Dynamy program. They talk about independence like its the biggest pro to the program, but during my time here, I have not even once felt independent. The "Advisors" lowering the students moral by making them do mundane/pointless tasks. If your son or daughter doesn't get an internship (the internships are total bullshit) then he or she will be forced to pick weeds by the carriage house all day. The advisors talk down to students, while the directors just sit around all day and do absolutely nothing to help. The houses don't have AC, except for the RC's room, which by the way is located in the house that your student will be living in. your rooms are searched once a week. The sense of community that may or may not exist for your group will be broken up. Regardless, being here has been hell. DON'T SEND YOUR KID HERE. MAKE THEM GET A REAL PAYING JOB. THEY WILL THANK YOU. P.S. GREGG IS THE ONLY COOL PERSON THERE!!!! For all my spanish speakers!! Yo era un antiguo alumno del programa Dynamy. Hablan de la independencia como el mayor profesional del programa, pero durante mi tiempo aquí, ni siquiera una vez me sentí independiente. Los "asesores" disminuyen la moral de los estudiantes haciéndoles realizar tareas mundanas / sin sentido. Si su hijo o hija no obtiene una pasantía (las pasantías son una mierda total) entonces él o ella se verá obligado a recoger malezas en la cochera todo el día. Los consejeros hablan con los estudiantes, mientras que los directores simplemente se sientan todo el día y no hacen absolutamente nada para ayudar. Las casas no tienen aire acondicionado, a excepción de la habitación de RC, que por cierto está ubicada en la casa en la que vivirá su estudiante. Sus habitaciones se buscan una vez a la semana. El sentido de comunidad que puede o no existir para su grupo se romperá. De todos modos, estar aquí ha sido un infierno. NO ENVÍE A SU NIÑO AQUÍ. HAZ QUE ELLOS OBTENGAN UN PAGO REAL. ELLOS LE AGRADECERÁN PD GREGG ES LA ÚNICA PERSONA FRESCA QUE HAY !!!! read more

Our son was not ready for college. He needed to mature more, to learn how to be away from home, and to take a break from academics. Dynamy's program offered the perfect mix of independent living and experiential learning opportunities. The staff running this program are top-notch and the opportunities through the internships are truly valuable. Dynamy attracts an interesting mix of participants who are there for a variety of reasons, which can make the social piece of the experience a little challenging for some. Overall, the program is well-run and provided a positive, safe, and enriching environment for our son. He is now at college and succeeding. read more

This gap year program at Dynamy is fantastic!! It was the best thing we could have done for our son who needed a change after high school. The public high school's model of learning didn't work so well for him. The Dynamy program was just as much about the internships as it was about learning life skills, and gaining independence and increasing confidence. With the help of his advisor, my son was able to better realize what his strengths are as well as identify which areas he needed to work hard on. His internships spanned a wide range! He was a preschool teacher's assistant, an assistant chef in a fancy restaurant, and he worked in a home for youths. He got rave reviews from all his supervisors and finished out the year feeling really good about himself! He also made some lifelong friends at Dynamy with really interesting, talented and creative people. Now my son is studying psychology in college and seems to be quite happy there. That gap year was time and money well spent!! read more