SAS

Semester at Sea (SAS) is an incredible program that allows students to travel all over the world while studying on a "floating campus". After learning that students travel via cruise ship to different countries around the world, I was sold. Other important factors that drew me to SAS was that it's not a major specific study abroad program, students have free travel in every country, and it is very affordable.

I was lucky enough to sail with one of my best friends from high school. Looking back, I still would have decided to participate on Semester at Sea even if my friend didn't go. I met so many different types of people while on board the MV Explorer. In fact, I met one of my best friends on my voyage! Every person was just as excited as me, if not more, to set sail in the Mediterranean. Getting the names of my roommates the day we boarded the ship made me a little nervous, but we all got along just fine. I never had an issue with my roommates and there was enough elbow room for everyone in our cabin.

The rigor of the classes wasn't what I was expecting. At the time of my trip, the hosting institution was University of Virginia. I was prepared to do lots of studying but was happily surprised to learn how casual the classes were. The homework and exam load is very do able and the professors understand students don't want/ have time to study while in port. The Field Programs (mandatory class field trips) were worth my time and money. An example of one of my Field Programs: going to a winery in Spain to learn about their winemaking process then had a 6 course lunch overlooking the vineyards. It was amazing! In general field programs never took up more than half a day, were fun, and somehow never interfered with my travel plans.

A highlight of the trip was backpacking Italy with my friend. We had 1 week, 2 backpacks, and 1 laptop to get us through 4 different cities. We had made plans to do most of the site seeing by ourselves and then take advantage of a full day Rome tour offered by SAS. I wouldn't have done it any other way. It was so much easier to take our time in the cities we liked and hop on a train whenever we wanted to leave. Utilizing the SAS Rome tour was the best decision we made in that country. We were exhausted at the end of the week and I don't think we would've visited half the museums and tourist spots if we were on our own. The Rome tour included tickets to every "hot spot" in the city, a tour guide who spoke English, and an air conditioned bus ride back to the ship. That's a win in my book.

Ultimately I would definitely recommend SAS to everyone. There are plenty of financial aid opportunities offered through the program and some universities will give you aid as well. Take advantage of this amazing program! You won't regret it!