Semester at Sea: Everything You Need to Know

Hello, everyone! Long time no seA. Now that I've been back from Semester at Sea for four months now, I wanted to sit down and share some of the important things to know prior to sailing. Keep reading for links/items I mentioned as well as some important things I forgot to mention. :)

SAS Website:
https://www.semesteratsea.org/
SAS Frequently Offered Courses:
https://www.semesteratsea.org/experie...
CABIN TOUR @ 6:05 timestamp:
   • EMBARKATION DAY | Semester at Sea Spring 2023  

Mentioned Items:
Carry On Backpack (SADLY THIS IS CURRENTLY UNAVAILABLE NOW but here’s the one I had. I’m sure you can find a similar one):
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09WZ4B8P2?...
Washer Sheets: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08V56DWNW?...

TIPS I FORGOT TO MENTION + TIMESTAMPS:
Who can go: college students, gap year students, grad students, lifelong learners (those above 30)
Who will be there: all of the above as well as professors and faculty and their kids/partners and the crew
Scholarship applications open up a few months prior to the voyage. Apply to every one you can!!!
When purchasing international data plans, I recommend buying on that is billed monthly than per day you use it. For example, Verizon offers monthly (20GB) or 10 days of data a month. You're in port for more than 10 days a month, so it ends up being cheaper to pay monthly. You also may randomly get service while sailing past land, so it's nice to be able to turn on data then.
IMPORTANT: You will not be able to access your schoolwork online off the ship wifi. So in port you won't be able to log onto Moodle to get homework done unless you download papers offline. This also means that once you are home from the voyage you will NOT have access to your assignments unless you saved them as pdfs, docs, etc.
Bring collapsable drawers! There is NOT a lot of storage space in the closets. Some people also use their empty suitcases as drawers under their bed.
Use packing cubes! They will save so much room and help keep organized, especially when staying somewhere overnight in country.
Bring a toiletry bag with airplane sized toiletries that you have all set to go when staying overnight in country.
Timezone changes happen while sailing. You’ll be notified beforehand to change your clock forward or backward before bed. You may decide to apply for a certain voyage because you’d gain more hours instead of losing them depending on the direction you’re headed.
The crew is the BEST. You will love them, and they will know you by name. I don’t know how they memorize everyone’s name, but they do!

|| TIMESTAMPS ||
0:00-0:33 Intro
0:33-1:08 What is Semester at Sea?
1:08-2:04 Check SAS Affiliation
2:04-2:43 Applying
2:43 -3:47 Once Accepted
3:47-4:45 Cabins
4:45-7:54 What to Bring
7:54-9:55 Top 3 Things to Bring
9:55-10:40 Credit Cards (w/o foreign fees!)
10:40-10:56 Bring Photocopies of Documents
10:56-11:22 Wait For SAS Emails
11:22-13:18 Embarkation Day
13:18-17:02 How Classes Work
17:02-17:58 On Ship Time + Dock Time
17:58-18:45 Making Plans in Country
18:45-20:29 Preport + Interport Lecturers
20:29-23:22 Field Programs vs. Independent Travel
23:22-24:38 My In-port Routine
24:38-25:23 Join a Club!
25:23-26:01 Drink Nights
26:01-26:25 Shipboard Accounts
26:25-28:03 WIFI/Staying Connected
28:03-29:30 Staying Safe in Country!
29:30-30:26 Emotional Aspect of SAS
30:26-30:59 Outro

#semesteratsea #sassp23 #sas #studyabroad #shiplife