Program Reviews

SEASemester is a unique experience to challenge yourself while receiving a lot of support for your growth. You’ll make best friends for the rest of your life, learn how to lead, and thrive when facing a challenge. You also see beautiful sunsets and beaches, have hilarious days with shipmates, and learn life skills like cooking and research. It was interesting keeping watch at various hours of the night and morning, learning celestial navigation, exploring islands. There are times that are scary or miserable, whether you’re too cold, too hot, far from land when something unexpected happens and unable to use wifi/phones, but it’s all more than worth it for what you gain. And we made our own fun: created music with ukuleles and singing, made up games, turned cleaning days into dance parties. There is no better study abroad program!

Sea Semester is the most epic, challenging, and life changing at-sea study abroad program out there. It has opened many professional doors to me, as many environmental agencies know how demanding the programs are. I am now starting a new job working on NOAA research vessels, and there is no doubt Sea Semester was one of the main reasons I got accepted. I cannot encourage you enough to apply. Through the program, I have made life-long friends and developed a passion for life at sea. Watch-out, you'll get hooked!

I did this program in 1988. I can clearly say that this was one of the experiences that shaped me into the person I am today.
The program forced me to accept a new level of maturity & responsibility, from simple student to responsible crew member working in a team. Along the way I made friends for life and learned important lessons about life, myself, how I react to difficult situations and depending on others.
Both shore and sea component were amazing. I can‘t recommend it highly enough .... but it‘s not a holiday/vacation!

When I found sea semester a while back I was immediately drawn in by how unique of a program it is. I also thought that going to sea for 40 days sounded like a blast. However there are so many more aspects of this program that I didn’t account for. The shore portion was amazing and it’s where you get build connections with so many great people. Then you test your connection with these people by learning how to sail a boat together (so much harder than it sounds). You laugh together, you cry together, but most importantly you learn together. All you have on the boat is yourself and your shipmates and everyone works hard for each other. Most of the bonding comes from these moments when you are in a challenging situation and you all have to work together to figure it out. I met some of my closest friends on this trip and everyone there was an amazing shipmate. I think that’s a credit to SEA as they bring in wonderful people from all different backgrounds each of whom have left a lasting impact on my life. For me, and I think I can also speak for a lot of people from my trip, doing Sea Semester was the best decision I have ever made and has given me a new outlook on life that I appreciate so much.

This has been undoubtedly the most magical and happiest time of my life. I made connections to people that were instantly closer and deeper than any I had formed before, and I experienced such amazing experiences they made me wonder if there wasn't some divine entity working in my favor. I learned so much about myself and the world around me, I faced challenges that scared me, but also pushed me to grow, and I learned to really work hard. There is something completely lifechanging to be in an environment where the work you do is necessary for the safety of every person on the boat. It was exhausting work, but for however tired I was I finished my semester ready to spend another six weeks at sea, and wishing I did not have to leave. At the end, we sat on the deck to say our goodbyes and one of the mates told us not to let this be the most amazing thing you do in your life. I wish someday to be able to say that it wasn't, that I found something even more spectacular, but I don't know that I will. There are no words to convey just how spectacular it was, and no words to make anyone who hasn't experienced this know what it was like. If you have the chance to go on this adventure, take it.

I participated in SEA Semester's Fall 2020 Gap Year program, where we spent 3 weeks on their campus in Woods Hole, MA, and then 6 weeks at sea aboard the Corwith Cramer. Learning to sail the tall ship, working on research in the lab, and getting to know and work with my 35 shipmates (24 students and 12 crew total), taught me so much about myself and helped me to grow immensely. The crew are some of the most inspiring people you will ever meet! I learned so much from the assistant scientists, the mates, and the faculty! All of them are very approachable and always want to make sure that you are having the best experience that you can. When adjusting to the environment of living on the ship, the mates and scientists make you feel very comfortable and make sure that you know that making mistakes is part of the learning process! Living at sea is one of the most special experiences: every moment is a unique adventure! No two individuals experience the exact same moments on the ship, and this makes everyone incredible assets to one another throughout the program. From this program and the special learning environment, I feel even more excited and energized to go to college for Fall 2021 and continue learning about our remarkable world! I could not be more grateful for my time with the Sea Eduaction Association, and you should absolutely consider doing a SEA Semester program!

I had always wanted to attend a study abroad, but never really knew when would be a good time to do so. I had spoken to some people about SEA Semester and got really interested. I would not trade the experience for anything. Receiving college credit for standing as lookout on the bow of a ship or counting phytoplankton while undersail is a pretty unique experience. The bonds that were built between students will last a lifetime, as will the memories of the amazing sights encountered while at sea.

The SEA Semester is unlike other study abroad programs. Spending several weeks out in the ocean may seem daunting, but life out at sea is incomparable to any other study abroad. The Protecting the Phoenix Island program comprised of three weeks on the Woods Hole Campus, and then six weeks out in the Pacific Ocean. During the time at Woods Hole, a strong camaraderie is built among all students. All the classes at Woods Hole are well structured, and although they are only three weeks long you learn a lot from them. During the time at sea, all of the information you learned on land is applied in your independent research and policy discussions. Actually being inside of a marine protected area and seeing it ecosystems while discussing how to better protect them provides more depth and gravity to the topic than just a lecture in a classroom. Just as important as the academic component, the social aspect of SEA is spectacular. Through the Protecting the Phoenix Islands program, you form strong bonds with all of you shipmates leaving lasting friendships. You are also able to experience the culture of the people on Kanton with a large celebration party with everyone. Life at sea offers its own culture as your values and your perception of day to day events change. It is not uncommon to feel stress free, appreciate all the little things, and often reflect on who you are as a person and what you are going to take away from this experience. Lastly, and probably the most important to people considering this program is the coral reefs and islands. The coral reefs you are able to snorkel on display vivid hues of green, purple, and blue. All the reefs are expansive, and seemingly undisturbed by man kind. There is a plethora of ocean wildlife to see, from whales and dolphins, to sea turtles, sharks, and manta rays. On days when we were allowed to explore the islands, everyone would just spend hours looking at all the birds, consuming numerous coconuts, and realizing just how beautiful nature can be. This program was once that truly changed my perspective on what I want to do with my future career, and what I want out of life. If you are looking for a study abroad program with lasting impacts and exposure to vibrant oceanic landscapes, this one is perfect!

I went to PIPA on S-287 in summer of 2019. This trip has had a serious impact on me, and I am not sure I will ever experience anything like it. If you are at all into the outdoors, the ocean or communal living, sailing with SEA is a great experience. I can’t speak to a social scene, because for six weeks I saw no one but the 40 people living on Kanton in Kiribati and the 35 people on the SSV Robert C. Seaman’s, but the people I met on this boat have become extremely close friends, and the things I’ve seen are unlike anything else. I learned so much about the kind of life I want to lead, and am so thankful to SEA for making this kind of adventure accessible to students. I wouldn’t recommend this to folks who are not okay with being constantly active or uncomfortable, as sailing can get really crazy, and the watches make for an intense schedule.

Every part of this program was well worth the price. The staff were great, the classes were interesting and informative (for someone with little science background), the facilities were phenomenal...there really was nothing I did not like. I completed this program after college due to scheduling conflicts, and I am so glad I did, because I can say with confidence that I have never been happier than during those two months at sea. Granted, if you get sea sick easily, you might not enjoy it as much as I did. But I highly recommend you give it a shot if you have any interest at all in sailing.

The best part of this program is that you are the crew. You may be a student, with classes and homework, but you are also responsible for the function of the ship. It is not easy, but it is a hands-on learning experience that will teach you a lot about yourself as well as the topics covered in class. I want nothing more than to go back to French Polynesia to sail once more. I did Semester at Sea as well during my college years, and while it was informative and fun circumnavigating the globe, it was not nearly as rewarding as actually steering the ship, navigating using nautical charts, and setting sails.

An absolute ten out of ten adventure from start to finish!