Semester At Sea

Before you know it, it’s going to be 3 pm on a June afternoon when the whole class erupts into cheers. Your final day as a high school student has come to an end, making you free... right? Wrong. In a blink of an eye you will be in college bombarded with essays, project, exams, and teachers who should consider a career change. You’ll begin to realize that you escaped one hell and traded for another. Furthermore you will begin to view this beautiful world as repetitive and boring. Each night you will lay in bed thinking, “I want more out of life, I deserve more out of life.” That is why I am here to share with you a path that can change I’m certain everyone is familiar with the old Disney show Sweet Life on Deck. I remember wanting so badly to attend school on a cruise ship after having watched the show, thinking how amazing it would be to travel while learning. I quickly dismissed my dreams because after all, they were just dreams. I mean, school on a cruise ship? That’s a joke right? Well, apparently not. After doing some research on studying abroad, I came across a program called Semester at Sea. Basically, it’s a semester long school at sea educational program that you can either attend during the spring or fall semester, and can also be taken during the summer. There are 550 students aboard one MV Explorer, this ship will be their home for the next 100 or so days. In association with the University of Virginia, the nation’s second ranked public institution, participants attend classes on ship and complete in-country assignments for a full semester’s credit. In addition students will be traveling from 7 to 15 different countries, including, France, South Africa, China, Japan, Vietnam, Germany, Turkey, India, and much more. Imagine waking up at 6:00 AM and not feeling miserable. Imagine arriving at Istanbul for dinner. What would it mean to you to be able to walk to into class and realize that a 4 hour lecture cannot possibly ruin your day when you have 

another 20 to experience things that some people can only dream of. This is what a Semester At Sea will bring you. I’m not saying that it’s all fun and games, after all you are still a student getting an education. All I am implying is that having something to look forward to like arriving in France the next day makes all those painful student tasks significantly more bearable.
For more information on Semester at Sea: http://www.semesteratsea.org/
-Sarvineh Chiniforoushan