<p>Elisabeth, thanks for posting your thoughts. I appreciate hearing the view from someone who has been a participant.</p>
<p>I concur with the Semester at Sea alumna. My older D is on the current SAS circumnavigation of the globe. Her blog posts have been nothing short of astounding. Each reads like a mini-term paper yet she's writing the entries to record her observations and share her experiences and insights with family and friends. We can see how much she has grown from this experience - not quite two months into the journey. </p>
<p>Whatever problems the SAS program had several years ago seem to have been addressed quite seriously and largely resolved. My main complaint is that SAS administrators (the ones at University of Virginia) are not good at returning phone calls!</p>
<p>Dauphin Island Sea Lab</p>
<p>Any parents/students out there who have any experience with this program. D is interested in marine biology. Will be senior in HS next year. How is it considered in terms of reputation and education?</p>
<p>Semester at Sea proved to be an absolutely fantastic experience for my D last spring. She took four rigorous and fascinating classes on board - and fourteen countries - over an almost four-month period. Largely inspired by her SAS experiences, she’s going to grad school this fall in cultural anthropology and can’t wait to do fieldwork abroad. Two of her SAS profs wrote recommendations for her. University of Virginia, which has a stellar reputation, is the sponsoring institution. I’m sure any SAS marine bio profs will be well-qualified.</p>
<p>Good luck to your D.</p>
<p>I don’t think the OP is looking into it any longer. The original post is from 2007.</p>
<p>I was replying to a post from today.</p>
<p>
Dauphin Island has a pretty good reputation. Along with Hopkins marine lab (Stanford), Shoals marine lab (Cornell/UNH), and Duke marine lab, it’s one of the more popular undergraduate-friendly marine labs.</p>
<p>It’s worth looking into an REU program after freshman or sophomore year, which pays for all costs and provides a stipend. SURFO at URI is the most recognized, but they’re all great.</p>
<p>[US</a> NSF - REU - Ocean Sciences](<a href=“Search Results for REU Sites | NSF - National Science Foundation”>REU Sites | NSF - National Science Foundation)</p>
<p>Thank you warblesrule86. If any other parent has sent their kids to this program, I am really interested in their opinion too.</p>
<p>I was on the Fall 1980 voyage and am sending my son on the next ship. It’s a spectacular, life-changing educational experience. The students return mature, confident, and independent. They’ll never forget it. </p>
<p>I can’t recommend it more highly.</p>