It took traveling the globe to find my path in life Past Review
By Kelsey T (Writing and Photography, Ithaca College) for
Semester at Sea Study Abroad: Make the World Your Campus
Definitely! I took away so many priceless things from this experience.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 0-2 weeks |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The professors that I had for the three courses that I chose to take were amongst the best I've ever had. However, the professor for the required Global Studies course was unhelpful, scattered, and often condescending. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Faculty directed practicums (FDPs) were often excellent. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
The ship was exceptionally clean and the hotel services provided were always very friendly. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
There were lots of social and non-academic opportunities on the ship including clubs and one-day programs. The best social and non-academic aspects though were the wonderful trips and free time we had in each country we got to visit. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
I guess I'm rating this on how I felt on the ship because it is where I spent the most amount of time and because it drastically varied from country to country. Sometimes health issues were not dealt with well since the clinic was only open a half hour every day. It is also difficult since we live in an enclosed environment most of the time on the ship and disease spreads very quickly. However, I always felt extremely safe on the ship. I knew many people (faculty, staff, and students included). |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
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Finances
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | A LOT- I often bought snacks because I didn't care for the meals in the dining halls. I also spent about $100 in each country. We also had to pay for the hotel services provided for our rooms (this is done regularly and is not optional). |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Plan in advance how much you want to spend in each country. This will help minimize costs. |
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? | Be open to new experiences and new people. It may take more time to find the people you click with than you think, but it's worth the searching. Also, don't always opt for the programs that Semester at Sea offers in other countries. Try exploring on your own first. It's less expensive and you are more likely to get what you pay for. |
