Semester at Sea FAQ
Semester at Sea FAQ…
When talking about SAS, people always have so many questions about this amazing program. I did my best to answer some of the most frequently asked questions, so I hope this helps a little!!
What is Semester at Sea?
Taken right from the website, Semester at Sea is a multi-cultural study abroad program on a ship open to students of all majors. SAS was founded in 1963 and is managed by the Institution for Shipboard Education (ISE) in Fort Collins, Colorado.
What ship does SAS use?
The MV World Odyssey is the ship that is currently being used by SAS. During the summer months, the MV World Odyssey is transformed into a passenger cruise ship named MS Deutschland. The ship can carry about 513 passengers (students, faculty, staff, and lifelong learners) and 260 crew members.
How do I apply?
You can apply here on the SAS website. The application takes no more than an hour to complete and is $50 (they sometimes wave the fee).
How far in advance should I apply?
If you know this is something that you want to do, I recommend applying as soon as the application opens for your desired semester. For reference, I applied for Spring 2020 in February 2019. It usually takes about a week to be approved and as soon as you get that confirmation you can pay your deposit (you can read more about this here). By being one of the first to pay your deposit, you are almost guaranteed your top cabin preference. Make sure to get in contact with your home university though because they have their own applications and deadlines.
How much does SAS cost?
I have an entire post related to what a semester with SAS actually costs. If you want to check that out here is the link.
Does SAS offer Scholarships?
Yes, SAS offers $5 million in scholarships annually. Once you pay your deposit, you are able to access and apply for the scholarships matched to you.
What happens when you are out at sea?
While out at sea, the ship runs off of an A/B rotating system. Depending on the classes that you decide to take, they will either be offered on A days or B days (you will have global studies on both days). Since there is no class while in port, you will also have class almost every day while at sea (in some cases than could end up being 10 days in a row).
What type of classes are offered?
There are classes offered in a variety of different subjects. I personally took all business-related classes but check out specific voyages on the SAS website to get an idea. For the most part, a lot of the same classes are offered on every voyage. These were the classes offered on the Spring 2020 voyage
How many credits can I earn?
The normal course load for SAS is 12 credits, 3 of which come from the required Global Studies course. If you need to take more then 12 credit hours, you can request a permit to register for 15.
Do you have free time on-land?
YES! The only time that you are required to stay with SAS is during a field class (a field class is a one-day class field trip that is worth 20% of your final grade). Each class (besides global studies) has one field class in the professor’s country of choice. Other than that, how you spend your time in-country is up to you and that can be done either independently with a field program.
What is a field program?
A field program is a SAS designed experience that can be anywhere from a day trip to a four-day overnight trip. If you are not comfortable traveling independently, or one specific programs stands out to you, I highly recommend signing up for one!
Does SAS allow international students?
Yes, there are a ton of international students onboard, in fact my roommate was from England.
Can you pick your roommate?
Yes, you can either pick your roommate or do a random selection where SAS picks for you. Before the voyage, some students will create a GroupMe where you can find a roommate if you wish. I decided to go with a random roommate but that’s up to you.
Is it hard to make friends on the ship?
Not at all! Everyone on the ship is super nice and friendly. I ended up finding my group of friends on the very first day because we all happened to be on the top deck watching the ship pull away from the dock. Just be friendly and you will be fine!
Is there WIFI onboard?
There are two different WIFI servers for students to use while onboard. The World Odyssey server allows unlimited access to seamail, Moodle (online grading system), Next Cloud (file hosting service), basic news outlets and homeport (voyage news). There is also a server called SAS Internet which is where you will get your free 7 minutes (or 50 megabytes) of WIFI every 24 hours. There are also four computers in the library with unlimited internet access. The line for those computers can be hours long though so just be prepared.
How often can you talk to your family/friends at home?
You can communicate with those at home as much as you wish. I would send emails back and forth with my family throughout the day and then use my WIFI to talk to them on the phone. If you are wanting to call family/friends back at home, WhatsApp worked the best and I was able to talk for up to 2 hours before I ran out of MB. You can also buy call cards available at the front desk (I think it is $30 for a 6-hour card) but there are only 4 phone lines so keep that in mind.
How is the food onboard?
This is one of my favorite questions to answer! If you LOVE pasta, potatoes and bread, and I mean LOVE, you will be in heaven! A normal breakfast at sea is consists of either pancakes or French toast, bacon or sausage, potatoes, fruit and oatmeal. Lunch/Dinner consist of a salad bar, one main protein, pasta, potatoes, veggies and soup. They rotate about the same 10 meals, so it gets old quick (I don’t think I ate pasta for 2 months after getting home). If you get tired of this food there is a grill where you can purchase grilled food such as burgers, fries, pizza, etc..
Lido or Berlin?
Lido, of course! I think I ate 90% of my meals outside on the deck.
How can you do laundry onboard?
This is completely up to you. While at sea you can either do your own laundry in your sink, or you can pay $7 for a bag of laundry to be done for you. There are pros and cons to both but just know if you decided to send in your laundry, they are not gentle with your stuff. A couple of my friends sent their laundry in and it came back two sizes smaller or with random holes. I did my own laundry on the ship so if you want to see what I used check out my packing list!
Is there a gym on the ship?
Yes, there are two gyms on the ship that all voyagers can use after 0800 (0500-0800 is reserved for faculty and staff). The inside gym on deck 6 has 6 treadmills, 3 ellipticals, and a few weight machines and the outside gym on deck 8 has 5 exercise bikes, and free weights/benches. To use either gym you must sign up for a 30-minute time slot at the front desk.
Can/will you get seasick?
Seasickness will be different for everyone. I have been on many cruises before so I kind of knew what to expect and ended up not being seasick at all. However, I knew a ton of people that did get seasick and it was pretty bad. There are going to be times that you will sail through rough seas (I think we had 18-foot waves at some point). Check out my packing list for the most common medications.
That’s all I can think of for now. If you are considering participating in Semester at Sea, and have questions, please ask and I will add it to the list.
SEMESTER AT SEA FAQ
