Study Abroad With Semester at Sea
A Shipboard Campus Where College Students See the World From the Sea
Sep 30, 2009
Semester at Sea voyages sail every fall and spring semester, with a shorter voyage every summer. The full semester voyages last around 100 days and see at least 10 countries. Students on those voyages can take 4 or 5 classes which will appear on their transcripts a University of Virginia transfer credits.
The summer voyage travels for 60 days, visits 8 countries and students take 3 or 4 classes. The ship itself is a floating campus with dorm rooms, dining halls, classrooms, and places to hang out. Semester at Sea offers students a chance to see the world from a unique point of view.
Who Sails on Semester at Sea?
The main population of the Semester at Sea campus is undergraduate students. The professors who teach the shipboard classes are made up mainly of professors from colleges all over the US. All of them have international experience and some are from outside the US as well. There are staff members such as Resident Directors for the students, librarians, and Deans.
Semester at Sea also hosts the LifeLong Learners, older people who travel on the ship to see the world and audit classes. The ship is also home to the spouses and children of some of the staff and professors. These groups all live and eat together. It is not uncommon to see dinner tables made up of students eating with children and professors. This unique arrangement gives students a chance to interact with their teachers and other adults on a more personal level than in normal colleges.
A Day on the Ship
Breakfast is served in a large communal dining room, with windows overlooking the ocean. Classes are held the majority of the days while the ship is at sea. However there is plenty of time between them for a step out on deck or to grab food during lunch or buy a smoothie and a burger from the bar.
After classes there are lots of places for voyagers to relax. The top deck of the ship houses a workout area, a spa, a pool, a basketball court, ping-pong tables, and the previously mentioned bar. There are lots of lounge chairs and plenty of space on the deck to lay out and sun. Inside the ship is another bar, a piano, and plenty of places to sit and do homework or talk. There are a number of different clubs to join; each club is student run and varies by voyage.
Everyone can eat a buffet style dinner in the large dining room and sometimes a late night snack bar opens for the night owls. There are frequently nighttime activities like lectures, presentations, and parties. Each room is also equipped with a TV and movies play throughout most of the night.
A Day in Port
The ship stays docked in each new country for a few days. While there the voyagers can go on Semester at Sea hosted trips all around the port city and country or go off on their own. Every professor assigns some things for students to do in port as homework. A class about music may expect students to record a sample of local music or a class about plants may require students to taste and new fruit and write a paper about it.
However, what classes a student takes do not affect what trips the student can go on. Some trips last overnight and students can find they spend the entire time in port without even seeing the ship. Other trips are only for the day and the voyagers return to the ship every night to sleep.
A Memorable Study Abroad
A semester with Semester at Sea gives students, as well as the professors and other adults who travel with them, a one-of-a-kind look at the world. They experience firsthand several different countries and cultures. How many students can write a paper on the Panama Canal and then go there?
Living on the ship with people from all over the world also gives the voyagers a chance to make lifelong friends from all different backgrounds and ages. Semester at Sea voyagers gain a truly valuable vision of the world and can expect their lives to change for the better after they sail.
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