<p>We were in Cape Town, in port with the Semester at Sea kids a few months ago. We spoke with many of the students who love the [program.
And we have friends who's son was on the ship. I also spoke with a woman who had both done the program as a student and worked for them.
Desmond Tutu was on the ship with the kids for an entire semester this spring. He gave lectures and was available to speak to the kids on many different subjects. I would love for my S to do the program, but it would not work with my D's major.
Are there kids who party too much? Absolutely, but those same kids would be doing that on campus too.</p>
<p>My son participated in semester of sea in spring of 2006. This was a wonderful learning experience, with the most notable professors available from around the world. The curriculum was difficult and rigorous, yet the hands on approach to global learning was remarkable. I found it to be a great investment. If you are interested, you should call the office, as the ship is having "open houses" at a few coastal ports. Last month they were in San Francisco, and next month they will be in San Diego prior to setting off for another round the world voyage with their fall semester students. This shipboard campus has been around since the 60's when it was called World Afloat with Chapman University.</p>
<p>The stories about what Semester at Sea was like in the past should probably be ignored. I think everyone knew that it had been a big party for many students and the curriculum was revamped to make it more academically rigorous.</p>
<p>The first sailing under the UVa flag went off this spring. I imagine that students will start the share their experiences when they get back to Grounds in the fall.</p>
<p>
[QUOTE]
Desmond Tutu was on the ship with the kids for an entire semester this spring. He gave lectures and was available to speak to the kids on many different subjects.
[/QUOTE]
The announcement about Desmond Tutu was one of the most exciting ones I heard last fall. I think the faculty team that was overseeing the transition from Pitt to UVa was committed to making SAS more than just a cruise for kids.</p>
<p>I got college to pay me to spend a summer in Europe. I applied for a grant to do senior thesis research on low cost housing in London, Paris and Berlin. :)</p>
<p>Any parents out there whose students attended this program? My D wants to do this - it looks very expensive and I want to get as much info as possible (besides looking at their website). I also have misgivings about her spending 4 months at sea. Thanks!</p>
<p>The program has many nicknames that may give you some insight, including "The Booze Cruise" and "The Floating Mattress".</p>
<p>There are study-abroad programs that would challenge your daughter to expand her horizons (academically and/or culturally) than a four-month cruise with weak academics and little cultural immersion. Many in the academic community were probably surprised that UVa linked up with this program after UPitt withdrew its association.</p>
<p>If your daughter is interested in challenging herself in a comparative study abroad program visiting several destinations around the world, I recommend the International Honors Program trips highly:</p>
<p>International</a> Honors Program</p>
<p>My daughter did their Cities of the 21st Century program. A group of about 25 students from a number of colleges travelled to New York, Buenos Aires, Beijing, Shanghai, and Bangalore (India). They spent a month living with a local family in each foreign city and commuting to "school" by subway or auto-rickshaw (in India).</p>
<p>IHP</a> Cities in the 21st Century</p>
<p>Academics were focused around four courses (on aspects of urban policy) taught by travelling professors with lectures and field trips with local government, business, and NGO leaders in each city. For example, studying the formal and informal (carteneros) trash collection and recycling in Buenos Aires or a personal tour of the Factory 798 art district in Beijing (798</a> Art Zone - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia) by its founder Huang Rui, who was arrested for organizing the first people's art exhibition during the Cultural Revolution. </p>
<p>This program involved flying literally around the globe (NYC to Buenos Aires to Miami to Chicago to Beijing to Shaghai to Singapore to Bangalore to Dubai to NYC) and was more challenging than anything experienced in college.</p>
<p>There are many fabulous study abroad programs. I recommend pushing for something a bit more challenging.</p>
<p>An earlier discussion about Semester at Sea:</p>
<p>interesteddad, you forgot "the love boat."</p>
<p>OP, first check to make sure your D's school will give credit for this -- if she wants credit, that is. Many schools do not give credit for semester at sea, finding it academically dubious (though fun, to be sure!)</p>
<p>The Love Boat is $20,000 to $28,000 per semester, not including ANY travel in ANY of the countries being visited.</p>
<p>Study abroad programs are incredibly expensive. My view is that the overall experience needs to justify the cost in some way, whether from a cultural immersion, language proficiency, or academic standpoint. IMO, a student should be pushed and challenged by a study abroad program at those prices. Otherwise, just buy 'em a fancy vacation package and drop the "study" pretense. But, that's just me.</p>
<p>my daughter was not able to participate in a semester long study in Europe.
She could've if she postponed graduation, which seems kind of silly to us.
Her friend is there this semester and has had a lot of fun and the travel opportuniites have been great...parents are a little bothered that she is on her own for food three days a week. With the dollar being so weak, she has learned to become very resourceful and saved bread from the dining hall for weekends</p>
<p>BTW, many colleges have excellent "Getting Started" primers on selecting a study abroad program at their Foriegn Study websites. These can be well worth reading for parents and students alike who are serious about selecting a high-value challenging program.</p>
<p>This one is a good example:</p>
<p>Swarthmore</a> College Office for Foreign Study</p>
<p>One of its topics addresses a fundamental problem with a certain type of program, a problem that Semester at Sea elevates to a unique degree.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Fifth, in the foreign study trade some programs are called (by sponsors as well as outsiders) 'island programs'. These are not programs that occur on islands. **Rather, they are programs that ghettoize American students, often in Americanized environments with American teachers brought over to teach them, and do little or nothing to foster or encourage student involvement in the host culture. **Mainly, this office does not recommend such programs.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>A friend's daughter is doing this right now, with six or seven other students from Cornell. Having a very worthwhile time, according to my friend, but maybe that's just the edited version that the daughter is giving. Nevertheless, she seems to be a smart, level-headed young woman, so who knows.</p>
<p>
[QUOTE]
The program has many nicknames that may give you some insight, including "The Booze Cruise" and "The Floating Mattress".
[/QUOTE]
I think everyone heard the stories from the past, but I honestly haven't heard anything negative about the program since UVa revamped the program...and I've been listening carefully!</p>
<p>Dean:</p>
<p>There's only so much "revamping" you can do with with a flawed concept -- 650 American college students traveling together in an "island" group with essentially no cultural immersion. </p>
<p>There's nothing wrong with travel or cruises. But, this sort of program is just that. For $25,000 a semester, there really should be some value-added.</p>
<p>You have to consider the alternatives. The opportunity cost of choosing a party boat cruise over the other incredible study abroad options available for $25,000 a semester.</p>
<p>That is a ton of $$. We're actually paying less for our kid's semester abroad than what it would cost at his home school - not the goal of my son's consideration of study abroad programs but a nice bonus since it then leaves some money in his budget to take advantage of the great European discount airlines. As ID says, there are a lot of great study abroad options out there - worth the research.</p>
<p>Our S is studying abroad through a tuition exchange program with his home university. While studying in Sweden for the semester, he is not paying any tuition, either to his home institution or to the university in Uppsala. He is getting the chance to travel on breaks.</p>
<p>
[quote]
While studying in Sweden for the semester, he is not paying any tuition, either to his home institution or to the university in Uppsala.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>That's a pretty sweet deal! I'd be looking into leaving him in Sweden for a few more semesters!</p>
<p>Yes, we normally pay out of state tuition, so it's a real break for us! (Although the dollar doesn't go too far there for living expenses!) I know his university (UMD) offers a few different tuition exchange programs-I'm sure other universities do as well.</p>
<p>I'm a Semester at Sea alumni and I think you all have some misconceptions about the program.
1.) It is NOT a booze cruise - there is alcohol onboard but it is heavily monitored. Students are only allowed to have two drinks with dinner and three drinks on specially designated nights, so five drinks total (of beer and wine, no hard liquor) and the cost of the alcohol is extremely expensive to discourage drinking. SAS is aware of it's reputation of a booze cruise and takes enormous steps to prevent intoxication and the stupid behavior it results in.
2.) Yes, it is expensive, but the financial aid offered is really good. And while the price tag of the program (about $20,000) looks ridiculous to most parents, take into consideration what you're paying for: a trip LITERALLY around the world. My experience was life-changing.
3.) The academics are very very good. They didn't just toss in academics as an afterthought, as you all seem to think. The professors on board have to apply and go through a screening process. Most of them have 10 years or more experience in their fields and the courses offered are always very interesting. I took Hinduism, Fiction Writing, Global Studies, and Sociology of Religion. The teachers were incredible and really tied their teaching into the experiences we had in each country. But, I can honestly say, I learned much more in each country than I have ever learned in any classroom.</p>
<p>I would also like to comment on this: "650 American college students traveling together in an "island" group with essentially no cultural immersion."</p>
<p>So wrong. Everything we did was culturally immersed. We were let off the ship and free to explore the countries in any way that we chose. In every country I visited, I got off the beaten path and let myself become absorbed in that country. I biked 100 kms in Vietnam in places that I couldn't point out on a map because they were so remote. I ate incredible Indian food at restaurants where the waiters didn't speak English. I drank tea in Japan with Harajuku girls. These are just a few of the experiences I had. </p>
<p>Semester at Sea is a wonderful program that will give your students experiences they could never have from another study abroad program.</p>
<p>I posted this on another thread where a lot of parents had doubts about the SAS program. I'd like to clear the air:</p>
<p>I'm a Semester at Sea alumni and I think you all have some misconceptions about the program.
1.) It is NOT a booze cruise - there is alcohol onboard but it is heavily monitored. Students are only allowed to have two drinks with dinner and three drinks on specially designated nights, so five drinks total (of beer and wine, no hard liquor) and the cost of the alcohol is extremely expensive to discourage drinking. SAS is aware of it's reputation of a booze cruise and takes enormous steps to prevent intoxication and the stupid behavior it results in.
2.) Yes, it is expensive, but the financial aid offered is really good. And while the price tag of the program (about $20,000) looks ridiculous to most parents, take into consideration what you're paying for: a trip LITERALLY around the world. My experience was life-changing.
3.) The academics are very very good. They didn't just toss in academics as an afterthought, as you all seem to think. The professors on board have to apply and go through a screening process. Most of them have 10 years or more experience in their fields and the courses offered are always very interesting. I took Hinduism, Fiction Writing, Global Studies, and Sociology of Religion. The teachers were incredible and really tied their teaching into the experiences we had in each country. But, I can honestly say, I learned much more in each country than I have ever learned in any classroom.</p>
<p>I would also like to comment on this: "650 American college students traveling together in an "island" group with essentially no cultural immersion."</p>
<p>That is so wrong. Everything we did off the ship resulted in us being culturally immersed! We were let off the ship and free to explore the countries in any way that we chose. Some students chose the most touristy things, but most chose to get off the beaten path and explore for themselves. </p>
<p>I biked 100 kms in Vietnam in places that I couldn't point out on a map because they were so remote. I ate incredible Indian food at restaurants where the waiters didn't speak English. I drank tea in Japan with Harajuku girls. These are just a few of the experiences I had. You can read about more of them at my blog: Semester</a> at Sea</p>
<p>Semester at Sea is a wonderful program that will give your students experiences they could never have from a regular study abroad program.</p>