SEA taught me so much about so many different things - mostly about the ocean and myself. Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

Sea Education Association provides an academic and life experience unlike anything you can find anywhere else. There were so many different kinds of top-notch learning going on all the time - traditional classroom lecture, discussion, and research; practical sailing, navigation, marine lab, kitchen, and engine work; field research, team and leadership training... the list goes on. The instructors were all unbelievable at teaching and helping us learn all of these different things. The classroom component of the program was so interdisciplinary that the instructors had to explain to us why the course titles were problematic. All three of our professors taught us things about maritime history and culture, natural history, Caribbean history and culture, and everything in between. They had an innovative schedule for the shore component that allowed us to build connections between all those subjects in a remarkable way. The final, and in some ways most important, aspect of the academic experience was living and working with our professors and assistant instructors during the sea component. We all learned from each other, came to trust each other, came to love each other, in ways that can never happen in a traditional academic environment. SEA has a strong curriculum in place for leadership training. We quickly took responsibility for most aspects of the ship, under the watchful eye of the crew and faculty, and we could not help but feel empowered when at the end of the journey we could do most things on the ship by ourselves. We learned how to run a sailing ship, but most of all we learned to trust ourselves, to learn quickly, to follow leaders well, and to lead others exceptionally.

On-site administration of your program

The SEA administration did a pretty good job overall, although the communication process leading up to the program seemed a little disorganized. Once we were there, everything was very clear and well-run.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

The first six weeks were spent in Woods Hole on the SEA campus, and in some ways this was one of the happiest six weeks of my life. The dorms were very practical, and we felt a fair amount of ownership over the space by the end. All the students on campus (two ships' worth) quickly became close friends, and were able to cohabit the houses and the campus well. It was such a simple existence - lots of academic work, and plenty of exploring to do around Woods Hole, but so much more peaceful than traditional campus life. The second six weeks were spent at sea, and it was one of the most rewarding and educational living experiences I've ever been through. We all loved the Cramer right from the start - how could we not, when it quickly became clear how much our Professors, instructors, and the ships' crew loved her. We were forced to take good care of the ship, and remain accountable for her state of cleanliness and functionality at all times. Shipboard routine took some quick getting-used-to, but after a week or two I found that it was my favorite way to live. After growing up on land, in such a complicated human world, it was enlightening to suddenly live in a small and simple world like a ship, in the middle of the wide and impenetrable ocean.

Food was fine. Extremely good, under the circumstances of a ships' galley, seasick students, and limited stores. Head Steward Jenn Webber did a wonderful job of managing the galley and the ships' stores, teaching us to cook for the ship, and helping us take ownership of our responsibilities, which eventually included managing and cooking all meals.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

There is so much to say about the social and cultural experiences possible with SEA. The entire component at sea is a social and cultural experience, in that we learned how to live in our own, micro-society and culture on board the Cramer. Both port stops, in Samana in the Dominican Republic, and Port Antonio in Jamaica, were educational in different ways. They were very different ports in some ways, and similar in others. SEA planned great field trips in both locations, and with our free days' the students also managed to learn and experience much about those cultures. In hindsight, I can see that SEA pulled off some remarkably complicated and commendable planning and networking to get us to these locations on time, across hundreds of miles of ocean, only to then present us with different kinds of experts in the fields we had studied on shore and were trying to write papers about at that moment.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

Health and safety are always concerns on a ship in the middle of the ocean. The only reason I gave 4/5 stars is because there was never any guarantee that accidents or sickness wouldn't happen. That said, the crew and faculty did an unbelievable job keeping us safe, and teaching us to watch out for and be responsible for ourselves and each other. It was very clear that safety was a predominant concern, and we knew that in order to keep everyone safe we had to learn quickly and well how to run the ship.

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

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