The Ultimate Character Building Experience & An Absolute Must-Do Past Review
By Catherine C (Business & Economics, Skidmore College) - abroad from 06/04/2006 to 08/20/2006 with
Sea|mester: S/Y Argo - Global Voyages
Yes, absolutely worthwhile. I think it has made me a significantly better human being with global awareness & consciousness for the impact of my actions on the wider world.
Personal Information
If you took classes at multiple universities, list those universities here: | NYU; Florida Keys Community College (Accreditor of Seamester) |
How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 2 weeks - 1 month |
Review Your Program
* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The intensity arises from the vast amount of activities onboard & because you are in such an amazing environment, one has to apply self-control and focus on prioritizing studying at times over other activities or socializing. The work does not feel rigorous, but that is mostly because learning is done in a team environment & through hands-on activities. While it didn't feel particularly rigorous, I remember more from classes taught in this way than any other because I was able to see the concepts play out through real-life experiments, rather than simply through book description. |
* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Very professional & helpful. |
* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I loved living aboard a sailboat & the accompanying minimal lifestyle! I felt that it really taught me to prioritize needs & eliminate excess, which is a valuable skill in everyday life. |
* Food: |
Well, what can you say? You're on a sailboat, in a foreign country without access to fresh or familiar foods--one must be open-minded & flexible. |
* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
It was fantastic to travel to different countries & different areas within those countries. Often times, we traveled to remote areas where foreigners often did not venture. Those were some of the best experiences & ones through which you could really experience the culture fully. |
* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
You do need vaccines. The onboard staff are certified to carry out first aid, including sutures; however, the preference is to use local doctors when available. Staff take all precautions to eliminate the need for healthcare. |
* Safety: |
Safety is the top priority of staff & they take extreme precautions to ensure safety of everyone on board & while ashore. Mostly, you are always with the group, and I never felt 'unsafe' at any point. |
If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
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Finances
* Money: How easily were you able to live on a student's budget?
(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost) |
Everything was included for the most part. |
* Was housing included in your program cost? | Yes |
* Was food included in your program cost? | Yes |
Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | Approx. $50/wk |
Language
* Did your program have a foreign language component? | No |
Other Program Information
* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you take classes with?
Select all that apply |
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About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? | 0 |
A Look Back
* What did you like most about the program? |
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* What could be improved? |
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* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | Nothing--if anything, I wish I had known about it earlier in my college days to be able to do it for a full Semester, rather than just a summer. |
Individual Course Reviews
Course Name/Rating: |
Oceanography |
Course Department: | |
Instructor: | Chantelle |
Instruction Language: | English |
Comments: | This course was fantastic! & astonishingly, I apply the concepts everyday, despite living quite far from an ocean. But Oceanography teaches you so much more--understanding the topography of an area, the challenges for its inhabitants, and the overall weather patterns & forces that influence everyday life, such as the direction of flow within a toilet. The best part about the course were the experiments conducted on board or onshore, including scuba diving excursions. You could experience the concepts first hand & that surely made it easy to remember all of the complexities to an issue for the exam. |
Credit Transfer Issues: | No. |