Abroad101: Study Abroad Reviews

The best experience of my life. I wish I would have done this earlier in my college career. Past Review

By (Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities., University of California - Riverside) for

Semester at Sea Study Abroad: Make the World Your Campus

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
Yes, worth every penny and all the hard work it took to get their!! At first it may seem like its not possible , but with careful planning and perseverance it is doable.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 1 month - 6 months

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

Overall, the experience was great. Being able to visit the places you study is amazing. Professors do well considering their limited resources. Teaching methods are pretty standard considering the limited resources. Lecture and power points are the dominant method. The library is great, however, it is limited. Conducting research, however, is manageable and the librarians are very helpful. The only negative is there is very, very internet access. You do have access to sites such as wikipedia,so this helps.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

Being able to visiting so many countries in the time you are giving is amazing. You get to learn and experience so many things. I would recommend it to everyone. The only negative I would say there is that. You need to do most of your travel planning ahead. That is deciding what you want to do and book things. On the ship they do have travel books and when you port in each country the first day there is a travel assistant, however, their information is very limited. The lack of internet access makes booking things, looking up transportation systems, etc difficult. However, I would not recommend completely booking and planning your entire stay in each country. You will meet people as you go and will want to travel with them. Have a very good idea of what you want to do, but do not have everything set in stone. Look up transportation systems, landmarks to visit, etc before hand. Also, another thing to consider is that your professor will require you to go on certain field programs. This means that you may have to visit a specific museum or landmark with your fellow classmates and professor.This can keep you from making your ideal travel plans.

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

Housing was great. The stewards kept our rooms neat and clean.

* Food:

Overall, the food was good. It was pretty standard. Every meal they had their usual staples. It was a lot of salad, potatoes, rice, vegetables, and meat. However, they did try to mix it up.

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

Amazing I learned so much from visiting each country. Being able to visit so many allows you to form a more well rounded view of the world.

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

* Safety:

They try to best prepare on how to be safe in each country you visit. The health care on the ship is good. However, they really aren't open long enough.

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)

Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? It depended on each country and its exchange rate.
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? Be smart about your purchases. Be sure to haggle because people will try to sell you things very overpriced. Everyone wants to bring home souvenirs, but at the same time spend money more on experiences than stuff. Just because you buy amazing stuff doesn't mean you had an amazing experience.

Language

How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? None

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Dorm
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans

A Look Back

* What did you like most about the program?
  • Multiple countries
  • Ship life/ uniqueness of program
  • Boarder world perspective
* What could be improved?
  • Travel resources available to students while on the ship
  • internet access and the pricing of it.
  • Field program requirements ( perhaps there should be less)
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? If you want a global perspective this is for you. Also, if you are a very open minded person that just wants to learn as much as you can about the world then this is perfect for you. Being flexible, open minded, adaptive, etc will help, however, anyone can get used to going to several countries in short period of time.

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:

Beginning French

Course Department:
Instructor:
Instruction Language: French
Comments: I have always wanted to learn a foreign language, however, in this amount of time it is difficult and not as effective as you hope. Its not quite enough time to fully grasp everything you are expected to learn. During the summer I would highly discourage taking a foreign language. During a full system it might be more manageable, however, considering half your time is on the ship and the other half traveling I would say it might be best to not take a foreign language.
Credit Transfer Issues: