Semester at sea - is it worth it?

Parents Forum
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<p>My college study abroad advisor would not let students do this program, and our college did not grant credit for it. I asked about it because it sounded really great - multiple cities/countries at once, right?</p>

<p>Her explanation was that the program is a series of jumps from port ot port instead of an immersive experience within the culture of a particular country, and thus was not the kind of study abroad experience that would grant the greatest kind of understanding and experience that the school desired for students. If you are only spending a few days in port and visiting some tourist destinations, you are not going to have an immersive experience. (She also did mention the “booze cruise” aspect, although not in those terms. It’s not just “rumors and jealousy” - she’s a very experienced study abroad advisor and serves on the board of several study abroad programs, and personally knows the directors of most of the major programs across the country. She knows what she’s talking about.) I also have to think there’s a reason that so many top schools don’t give credit for Semester at Sea. And Motherof1990…I hope your son has an exceptional experience, but he just left on the voyage two weeks ago.</p>

<p>I personally did a semester in the Netherlands through SIT’s program and I can’t recommend SIT enough. They do homestays whenever possible, the programs are very intensive and all of them have language learning (even when the language is less-learned like Dutch or Bambara) and most have an independent study project you undertake during the last month. It’s a lot of work but you learn SO much from it, and you have a tangible product (the ISP) at the end. One of our students essentially used his ISP as his senior thesis.</p>

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<p>There are more academic programs to look into. My daughter did a study abroad program with Budapest Semesters in Math. It is well known and a good program for math or cs people. She was able to travel some weekends. She also got a U.S. Govt Gilman grant for study abroad. She could have got more funding if she studied a critical language. She would have liked to study Russian since she had a college semester in it, but she was told Russia was unstable, so she has to study Hungarian for a semester as part of the deal.</p>

<p>She went from Budapest to Ukraine, Istanbul, Prague, North Italy, Berlin, Paris, London, then home. Think about alternatives.</p>

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<p>BrownParent, thanks for the info on the Budapest program. My daughter is a computer science major in an engineering program - I am thinking that this might be a program she could participate in. I will definitely suggest she look into it. She also enjoys languages so studying Hungarian would not be a problem for her! </p>

<p>D has a friend on the Semester at Sea program right now and I will be curious to hear how he enjoys it. There is no doubt that the program had a less than sterling reputation in the past, but I like to think the involvement of UVA will improve the academic quality. People want to study abroad for many reasons; not every program is going to be right for every student. Motherof1990, it would be wonderful if you would keep us updated on your son’s semester.</p>

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<p>“She also enjoys languages so studying Hungarian would not be a problem for her!”</p>

<p>FYI: Hungarian may very well be a problem for her. It’s fiendishly difficult - not related to any indo-european languages - and has an exceptionally difficult grammar; studying Hungarian is nothing like studying French or Spanish.</p>

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<p>Thank you, katliamom. I did not mean to suggest that it would be a breeze. It would not be a problem for her in that she would not be opposed to studying it. She would rather enjoy it, I suspect. I understand it to be a difficult language.</p>

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<p>Love kids with adventurous spirits. She sounds like a cool young woman :)</p>

<p>That said, I have some friends who lived in Budapest for a couple of years. They managed fine with English. I imagine in an academic setting it would be even easier for your daughter do get along with just some Hungarian.</p>

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<p>If your D wants a semester sailing, she should look at Williams Mystic. I know many people who LOVED it</p>

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<p>Financial aid for a floating party? Why not, I guess.</p>

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<p>I know a student from a California school who just completed fall Semester at Sea. She’s a terrific writer, brutally honest and her blog about experiences did not indicate at all that it was a booze cruise/floating mattress. (Were they tea totalers the whole time? No. Probably wouldn’t have been on campus or studying abroad either.)
The students had many requirements pre- and post ports. The courses she took, along with the papers/topics that she had to write about…hmmm…no way would I characterize them as “lightweight”. And they had an hour of internet a week…so there wasn’t a lot of games/facebook/email…unlike regular campus life.
Expensive? Yes…worked out to be about the same as a semester at college for her.
Her blog ended with a huge thank you to parents and school “for giving me the world”.
Oh yeah, and one instructor (for Global Studies-South America) who also traveled with the students for the semester: Desmond Tutu
Did she and her parents think it was worth it? Definitely.</p>

<p>So…as others have said, it is what you make of it. But I’d encourage OP to talk with students/parents and instructors who have actually done SAS recently…</p>

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<p>The Semester at Sea was a life changer for my nephew. Rather than the “Booze Cruise”, for him it was the “Love Boat”. He met his fiance during his Semester at Sea two years ago, and they are getting married in July… ;)</p>

<p>I think if you asked him, he would tell you it was definitely a worthwhile experience. I guess not everything in life can be measured in academic value only.</p>

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<p>* I guess not everything in life can be measured in academic value only.*</p>

<p>That is very sweet 1sokkermom.
I certainly don’t measure things in academic value only- but Semester at Sea does seems to be expensive comparatively to similar programs & I took that to be the OP’s concern.</p>

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<p>I’m sympathetic to those claiming that the most life-changing semesters abroad are probably those in which a student immerses him or herself in a foreign culture–the more foreign, the better. However, that’s going to be most productive if the student has a high degree of foreign-language fluency, which many American kids don’t. </p>

<p>I’ve known a lot of faculty involved with Semester at Sea since UVA took it over; not surprisingly, it’s considered a pretty desirable gig and has no trouble recruiting talented teachers. The courses are pretty rigorous (as I mentioned upthread) and are supposed to take advantage of the global travel in a way that a single-location program can’t. For instance, a few years ago, a world music course involved attending concerts and other performances, and interviewing musicians from a variety of different countries in Asia and Africa. It would be impossible to do something like this in the US, where ethnomusicology classes generally have to use video, or even in a single country. The summer Semester at Sea cruise, which often goes down Latin America on the Pacific side, typically involves a lot of Spanish study, Latin American history and politics, and so on.</p>

<p>So it might not be everyone’s cup of tea, and it’s too expensive for my kids to consider, but it’s not some kind of scam.</p>

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<p>Does he really know a lot about South America?</p>

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<p>Does it matter? I take as many shots at UVa as anyone but I never question its integrity or academic standards both of which are very high. To judge a program on a prior management that was essentially fired is stupid. Not everyone wants to be immersed in one place. Some just want to see the world.</p>

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<p>The “old management” was not fired. The University of Pittsburgh dropped its accreditation of the Semester at Sea progam, leaving the program without an academic affiliation. The management of Semester at Sea then hunted for a new institution willing to grant academic credit and eventually landed the University of Virginia. It’s the same management.</p>

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<p>Well, it does appear that the current president took over at the time the switch to U.Va. was made, although he was with the program before that. It seems to me that since there was a major change in the program in 2006–five years ago–it makes the most sense to judge the program primarily on what it’s been like since then.</p>

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<p>Sorghum: Sorry…of course I meant South Africa.
Brain to typing fingers—sometimes/many times a disconnect.</p>

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<p>I stumbled across this thread yesterday and wanted to give my answer to “pumpkin 5” about Semester at Sea (“SAS”). I have two sons. Each sailed on two SAS voyages in the past 6 years (Spring 2005, Summer 2005, Spring 2007 and Summer 2009). My wife and I have also sailed on several SAS voyages as paying adult passengers. Once for an entire semester and twice for partial semesters (we did not voyage at the same time as either of our kids). My family and I have no direct experience with an immersion program but I certainly have plenty of experience with SAS. I am a passionate supporter of the program. I often speak to parents, as a volunteer, about the SAS program - both formally and informally. (I was at the Spring 2011 send-off Parents Reception and may have met “motherof1990boy” while there.) </p>

<p>Semester at Sea is not inexpensive. For us, it was a little more expensive than what we were paying for semester of college, but not a lot more expensive. It is the best money I ever spent on either of my kids. Financial aid transfers from some schools and SAS also awards about $4.0 million of financial aid per year. About 40% of students get some form of financial aid. [Semester</a> at Sea - ISE Scholarships](<a href=“http://www.semesteratsea.org/admission-and-aid/financial-aid-scholarships/ise-scholarships.php]Semester”>http://www.semesteratsea.org/admission-and-aid/financial-aid-scholarships/ise-scholarships.php) It is not a program just for wealthy students. It is not a booze cruise. It is not a floating mattress. The vast majority of the students onboard the ship are serious students that want to learn more about the world and they do. Every campus has a small number of problem students (SAS is no exception) and for them, I suspect, there is no study abroad program that would be beneficial. SAS is a comparative study program that allows students to compare and contrast 10 +/- countries around the world. Politics, economics, religion, history and cultural differences all are examined. The academics are challenging. Students and professors come from a broad background and many from great schools, including UVA, Dartmouth, Harvard, and Stanford. [url=&lt;a href=“http://www.semesteratsea.org/academic-life/academic-community/u.s.-colleges-and-universities.php]Semester”&gt;http://www.semesteratsea.org/academic-life/academic-community/u.s.-colleges-and-universities.php]Semester</a> at Sea - U.S. Colleges and Universities<a href=“The%20faculty%20changes%20each%20semester%20so%20there%20are%20faculty%20that%20comes%20from%20universities%20and%20colleges%20around%20the%20world.”>/url</a> In addition to the professors, there are inter-port students lecturers who get on the ship in one port and sail to the next port. The inter-port lecturers and students speak to classes and groups about the upcoming country. They are generally onboard the ship for 3-10 days. The lecturers are sometimes professors, administrators, and/or embassy officials. Desmond Tutu was once an inter-port lecturer and that resulted in his request to subsequently sail on two full semester voyages. He also serves as a trustee of ISE, the organization that operates SAS.</p>

<p>Safety is the number one priority for SAS. The itinerary changes on a moment’s notice if there are any country concerns. Countries are dropped and added as needed including mid-voyage if necessary. There is a travel advisory service that works with SAS constantly. The students are educated about safety for each port in advance and given excellent guidance for safe and proper behavior. My advice to all parents is to remind their students to remember to use common sense. </p>

<p>Almost every day, while the ship is at sea, is a class day (about 50% of the days during the voyage). The balance of the days, the ship is in port – usually 4-5 days per port. While in port, there are a wide variety of organized field trips and an unlimited number of independent travel opportunities. Every student generally does some independent travel and some organized field trips. Field trips are incredibly varied including home stays, course related research projects, major tourist sites, and service projects (habitat for humanity, orphanage visits, etc…). Almost without exception, the students find the service projects and home stays the most enjoyable and memorable. </p>

<p>I have met a large number of SAS alumni whose lives were changed by their experience and they have gone on to make a difference in the world with service around globe. While not all of the participants go on to teach abroad or start a non-profit, some will and it often will be a result of their experience on SAS. Is the program the right opportunity for everyone? Probably not, but I have only had two alumni (out of thousands I have met) ever tell me it was not the program for them. For my two kids, SAS was certainly the best part of their college experience and indeed an experience of a lifetime. They developed problem solving skills, confidence, a much broader understanding of people and places in the world. Their desire to continue travel and learn about other places and people in the world likely will never end. Here are some of the numbers from a recent study.</p>

<p>o 97% report Semester at Sea as their most significant college experience.
o 73% say the impact has not diminished with time.
o 42% spent extended time living and studying in other countries after Semester at Sea.
o 39% traveled to revisit and learn more about countries they visited on their voyage.
o 22% report they went on to work outside the U.S. after Semester at Sea.
o Source: Bob Weigl Study, 2009.</p>

<p>Each student and their parents should their homework on any study abroad program. No two programs are the same and an immersion program in a single country is not comparable to a comparative study abroad program. For information about SAS, their website is a great place to start. Spend a few hours on the site and you will find a tremendous amount of information. SAS also has a large number of alumni volunteers that are happy to talk with prospective students and parents. I believe the past participants are the best judge of the program. When UVA became the academic sponsor of the program in 2006, the faculty at UVA were concerned with a number of the same things mentioned in this thread. Since that time, over 100 UVA professors have taught on a semester voyage and learned, first hand, the realty versus the myth of SAS. SAS would gladly put students and parents in touch with some of those professors. Whatever your son/daughter decides for a study abroad program, I hope it impacts him/her as much as SAS did for each of my two children.</p>

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<p>mythoughts: thank you for posting this about SAS. My daughter will be going on their 2011 summer voyage, and she is so excited. Your post reinforces our decision. She is a very serious student, attends an Ivy league school, and plans to also do a study abroad program. But the chance to see so many countries that she would never get to travel to, while also taking classes for credit, is an opportunity she could not pass up. She has spoken to many kids that have gone on SAS, and it’s not the fun/drinking that they are telling her about, but rather the excursions and indepenent travel that they will never forget. Thanks for sharing you experience with SAS.</p>

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<p>mythoughts - Thank you very much for the honest information. My daughter is planning on the Fall 2011 trip and trying to plan the expenses - she’ll be paying for it through school scholarships and her own money - no small thing. How much do you think is a reasonable amount to plan for excursions on land? My greatest apprehension is about the safety of independent travel… not sure how to get comfortable with that.
Thanks for everyone’s input.</p>