Semester at Sea: A Whirlwind Tour of the World Past Review
By Eric P (PSYCHOLOGY., University of Rochester) for
Semester at Sea Study Abroad: Make the World Your Campus
I would absolutely, 100% recommend this program and had no regrets. Going on Semester at Sea opened my eyes to so many different people and places. It inspried me to go abroad again.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 6 months+ |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
For Semester at Sea, the academics all depend on what classes you take. I took fairly difficult upper level classes, which were a challenge at times, but not overwhelming. In fact, they helped me to really understand and appreciate the countries that we visited. Each professor had a different grading system. Courses change for every voyage, so there are not particular courses or professors that I could recommend for future students. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
I have no idea how Semester at Sea coordinates the travel, living arrangements, and education of 600plus students on a voyage around the world. They are very well organized and do a particularly amazing job with logistics. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Lived in a berth on a ship, with one roommate. The rooms are very small, but very nice. Each has it's own bathroom and a housekeeper that cleans every day. The size of the room is not a problem, since I only spent time in there to sleep. |
| * Food: |
As a vegetarian, I did not find it difficult to find enough food. Being a vegan would probably be near impossible on the ship. While the food would get boring after a while, it is hard to keep food fresh when at sea for long periods, so that is understandable. Overall, I was satisfied with the food. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
The Semester at Sea staff do a good job of arranging social activities. I was never bored while on the ship. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
The ship has it's own clinic and doctor. And they do a good job of briefing us before each country. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
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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? | At sea , I didn't spend anything. During ports, it would depend. Some countries are cheaper and some are not. Overall, on the program I spent appox 2000 dollars. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Make sure to budget for travel and food for each country and realize that some countries will be a lot more expensive to travel through. |
Language
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
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* Who did you live with?
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* Who did you take classes with?
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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | Know that Semester at Sea isn't an immersive program. It is a quick tour of the world - but an unforgettable and amazing one. Shiplife will become your favorite part of the journey and you will make amazing friendships and see fantastic places and people. If you can afford it, do it. |
