Program Reviews

Since you live and travel on a ship, everyone becomes very close. It is a friendly community that evolves with students, teachers, the crew and ship kids. The ship becomes your home while you travel. Every couple of days you wake up in a new country and get to explore with new people. The ocean is your backyard as you study or eat breakfast everyday.

Semester at Sea was the greatest experience of my whole life. While at sea, we would attend all of our regular classes and have the normal homework load, then when we were in port the time was our own. We would occasionally have certain 'field trip' requirements when we were in the countries, otherwise we could explore and experience the cultures of the countries we were staying in. You can't pass up the amazing experiences that you get on Semester at Sea.

Living on a cuise ship for 4 months and traveling the world. Don't have you sold yet? Just imaging being in South Africa and a week later in Vietnam. Then off to Costa Rica. All different cultures with different histories and you get to experience them all! Semester at sea is really good at preparing you for the next countries, suggesting what to do some there and even providing excursions to immerse yourself in these rich cultures.

Ship life is amazing too! Living in such close quarters you get really close with your shipmates. And it helps when you can bond over a hike on the Great Wall of China or a camel ride in Morocco. You even get a shipboard family to support you through your journey. There are events like Sea Olympics and The Amazing Race that always keep things interesting.

As for the academics, the professors are all very encouraging and helpful. They also have all had personal experiences with the countries and cultures you visit so are great resources!

If i ever got the opportunity to get back on the ship i would do it in a heartbeat. The friends i made there are some of the best i have and the memories are incomparable to anything else. I highly recommend this program! Can i come with you? ?

Semester at Sea is the best study abroad program ever! Especially if you want to study abroad but aren't sure what country you want to go to. This program allows you to see almost the entire world within one semester. The classes were interesting and relevant, they were challenging but the professors understand that you might be too busy travling to Paris or hiking Table Mountain, to write that paper they assigned. Semester at Sea allows you to travel solo or within pre-planned group outings so no matter what you have options and flexibility. My mom met me in Ireland and the ship staff was super helpful about letting her come on the ship and see where I have been living for the last couple of months. There is always something going on when you are at sea. They had clubs a lot like any normal university would have, although some were unique to Semester at Sea as well. While at sea we had a couple of dances that were really fun, my favorite events while we were sailing was when we crossed the equator and everyone who wanted to shaved their heads and we had to kiss fish, and the Sea Olympics. When I did Semester at Sea I was in my last year of college and one of the things I found most helpful was that they had a specific work study group that would help me with tips on my resume and job searching after school which is more then I can even say for my normal university. The places and things I got to experience were unreal, once in a lifetime things that I will never forget. I met some life long friends from all over the country and the world. The program is a little pricey but I think the amount of value it added to my life definitely makes up for it. Now that I am out of school everyone is so impressed that I did this program that it has actually helped me get my first real job. This seriously is the best program and I would recommend it to everyone.

Doing Semester at Sea was one of the best decisions I've made. Unlike the programs that invite students to live in one locale for several months, my study abroad journey allowed me to see 10 countries on 3 different continents and to experience the world. It awoke the travel bug in me and that continues to be one my most cherished passions.

Living on a ship for 66 days sounds like quite the experience and trust me, it was! For 66 days, my life consisted of this. Rolling out of bed 10 minutes before my class started, putting on my bathing suit under my clothes and walking to class with an ocean view. In between classes, I would lay out on the top deck before grabbing a delicious (with 100% sarcasm) lunch of pasta, potatoes and hopefully a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Then I'd have class in the afternoon with some of the best professors I've ever had. Nights would be filled with hanging out by the pool and getting our drink on...of 3 beverages. Every 2-3 days we would arrive in a new place with desire to explore and get as much in as possible.

If I could do Semester at Sea again, I would drop everything and head back to the MV Explorer in a heart beat.

Semester at Sea truly is a once in a lifetime experience! 16 countries, 4 continents, 20+ cities and countless memories! Living on the ocean is one of the many perks, but this program is so unique in its community building ability. The students, staff, faculty and their families become a true community, building bonds unlike any other program can. The classes aren't too hard and the field trips are amazing! It is pricier than many programs, but it is well worth it to see so much of the world. Apply for SAS, sail around the world, join the Wanderlust club :) you will NOT regret it!

Semester at Sea is a once in a lifetime experience that should be taken advantage of. You will experience the best adventures with some of the most unique people. Unfortunately living on a boat is not as amazing. The food is horrible and is pretty much the same throughout the entire voyage. In addition, the rules enforced by SAS are a bit harsh; I had a friend get drunk tanked (put in a room if you come back to the ship too intoxicated) for having a .09 at the age of 22, which is ridiculous. Also, you can't bring a majority of food products onto the boat or take any food from the dining areas to your room, not even a banana can be found in your room or you get points (10 points=kicked off). Then again, it's not the difficult to follow the rules and finish up the voyage with zero points.

Although ship life can be rough, it's definitely not worth passing up the opportunity of participating in this incredible experience. You will meet lifelong friends and have the best semester of your life.

Openned my eyes to the world, how big and how small it feels after the trip. I would strongly recommend this trip, it gives you a much more accurate view of the world (and it makes reading news a lot more fun too).

I fell more deeply in love with travel, education, and gaining immeasurable experiences than I could have imagined while traveling with SAS. I made the best memories and amazing friends. SAS was my home.