If you do not do this program, you will regret it for the rest of your life Past Review
By Leila K (PSYCHOLOGY., University of Hartford) for
Semester at Sea Study Abroad: Make the World Your Campus
ABSOLUTELY. From Semester at Sea, I gained insight on myself and my place in this world. My morals , personality and outlook on the world has completely changed and I find myself feeling incredibly lucky to be able to experience the things that I did. Doing SAS was the single most important and life changing choice I have ever made and I did not ever regret it for a single second.
Personal Information
| The term and year this program took place: | Fall 2008 |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Traveling around the world while taking classes is the most unique experience and I learned more in that 108 days than I ever have in my life. In addition to academia, I learned a great deal about culture, spirituality, religion and myself. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Everyone is so nice and since you are all stuck on a ship together you really get a chance to know the administrators and deans on a personal level. INformation presented about the countries was very helpful and everything is organized so well. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Cabins are teeny but comfortable and are cleaned for you everyday. Laundry folded, beds made, vacuumed, bathrooms cleaned... very nice. |
| * Food: |
Food is really good but it's the same thing pretty much for every meal: Salad bar that gets wilty after a few days at sea, vegetarian option, pasta, potatoes and some type of mystery meat and soup. Oh and fruit and cheese and rolls always available. Good desserts |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
It's hard to gain a more cultural experience than circumnavigating the globe. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
SAS does EVERYTHING it can to inform you of the dangers and safety advice, but it really comes down to common sense in certain situations. The medical team on the ship is AMAZING and very informative and friendly and there is a clinic on board. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
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Finances
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* 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) |
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| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | I spent about 7 or 8 grand on personal expenses and food, travel and hotels in port. This includes all plane tickets and transportation, trip fees, food, souvenirs. You will need between 5 and 10 grand spending but you will get to do everything you want. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | EVERYTHING is worth it. You can always pay back a loan but you might never be able to travel the world again |
Other Program Information
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* Who did you take classes with?
Select all that apply |
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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | If you are reading this, that mean you have at least a remote interest in this program and that is because you are someone that expects more out of life. If you do not do this program, you will regret it for the rest of your life. If you do this program, you will be changed forever in the most positive sense of the phrase. |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
Mental Illness Across Culture |
| Course Department: | ?? |
| Instructor: | Kima Cargill |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | Learn about culture bound syndromes that are relevant in the countries you are visiting. It is very interesting to see the difference between Western psychological evaluations in the DSM IV in comparison to the rest of the world. Field trips are visit to a drug rehabilitation center in Malaysia, A disabled children's home in India, A schizophrenia clinic in India etc. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | Not yet and hopefully not ever |
| Course Name/Rating: |
Asian Theatre Art |
| Course Department: | ?? |
| Instructor: | Cheri Vasek |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | Learn about the different forms of performances in southern and south east Asia. The field trips I went on: A water puppet show in Vietnam, a Chinese acrobat show in China, a Kuchi Pudi Indian dance production in India, and a Shadow puppet show in Vietnam. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: |
| Course Name/Rating: |
Religion, Politics and Society |
| Course Department: | Global Studies A |
| Instructor: | Len Schoppa |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | The one mandatory class you have to take: global studies. Everyone has to take either A or B so there are 400ish people in each class jammed into an auditorium and when room runs out you can go into one of the classrooms and watch it on the projector. It's interesting to learn about the religions before you go into the countries, but the class structure was horrible and it was strictly a lecture class. Oh and it's mad early but sometimes they put it on tv so you can just watch it from your cabin |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | I got credit for an AUCC for this woohoo |
