SEA Semester: The Time of My Life Past Review

By John C (Mechanical Engineering, Northeastern University) for

Sea Education Association: The Global Ocean

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?

I understand the sea so much better after my experience. This experience was easily the most worthwile experience of my life thus far. SEA Semester opened my eyes to a world that I thought only existed hundreds of years ago or in fairytales.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program?	0-2 weeks

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.	The program is not your typical academic program. There are very few places you can go to get a traditional maritime education, even fewer that give you college credit for it. The program is fast paced and exciting, but an incredible 24/7 learning environment. There is a lot of learning-by-doing as you are on the sea as you learn about the sea.
* Host Country Program Administration On-site administration of your program	Accessibility and support services were fantastic. While on the program everything ran very smoothly, a great credit to the administration at SEA Semester.
* Housing: How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?	During the shore component, students live in co-ed, well furnished houses, and do all of their own cooking. Rooms are spacious and inviting, and campus itself is beautiful. During the sea component, each student has his or her own bunk, which does seem small at first, but is easy to get used to. On board the ship, everyone (students, instructors, crew) lives in close quarters, and get to know each other very well. The crew did a fantastic job of making students feel safe at all times.
* Food:	The food is FANTASTIC. While on the shore component, students cook for themselves, which is a great opportunity to try food from different ethnicities/backgrounds, as each student tends to cook what they would eat at home. While at sea, food may even get better because there is a professional steward onboard who is involved in all meals. Everyday there is a different student working with the steward to help cook all meals, each of which is restaurant quality. SEA also does a great job of accomadating for dietary restrictions (ie- gluten free, vegetarian, vegan, etc.)
* Social & Cultural Integration: How integrated did you feel with the local culture?	We learned the culture of the sea itself, as well as the culture of the different island nations we visited. Field trips were culturally enlightening and fun. We met many different people from different walks of life (Governors, Ex-patriots, land owners, farmers, everyday people) on the islands we visited which gave us a broad understanding of cultures within cultures.
* Health Care: How well were health issues addressed during the program?
* Safety:	We had more safety issues during the shore component than during the sea component. While on shore we had a few cuts and bruises just from college students being college students. At sea, a new level of understanding emerged, and everyone did their part to keep their shipmates safe. At no point during our 6 weeks at sea did I ever feel unsafe.
If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program?	Yes

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)

Other Program Information

* Where did you live? Select all that apply	Other
* Who did you live with? Select all that apply	Americans

A Look Back

* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program?	The program was absolutely amazing. I learned so much that I wouldn't have learned in any other study abroad program. If you are looking for something different-something 'off-the-beaten-track', then this is your program. At SEA Semester you will learn about the explorers of old, you'll learn to navigate by the stars, and you'll learn about the abundance of life that lives in the ocean. I met some amazing people during my semester, not just the students, but the faculty as well. SEA Semester has changed my life forever. My career path changed dramatically thanks to SEA Semester, and I cannot wait to get back to sea.

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:	Nautical Science
Course Department:
Instructor:	Captain Jason Quilter
Instruction Language:	English
Comments:	The course was not too challenging if you have even the smallest physics background. There is a good amount of geometry involved in the class, but if you're not math oriented don't worry about it because it is very easy math. The instructor also does a good job of simplifying the material.
Credit Transfer Issues:	No problems

Course Name/Rating:	Oceanography
Course Department:
Instructor:	Deborah Goodwin
Instruction Language:	English
Comments:	Oceanography is probably the most challenging of the classes we took because of the scientific concepts that you need to understand. Oceanography presented another great opportunity to learn-by-doing, as students create their own research project, and then perform all of the scientific tests themselves and collect their own data to find their own conclusions.
Credit Transfer Issues:	No problems

Course Name/Rating:	Maritime Studies
Course Department:
Instructor:	Elizabeth Fisher
Instruction Language:	English
Comments:	Maritime Studies was like the english/history class of our trip. We learned about the history of sea travel and the various industries that are based on the ocean. Field trips were always spectacular, and the books we read very interesting.
Credit Transfer Issues:	No problems