What's Semester at Sea?

On January 5th, 2016, I'll begin my almost four month journey around the world through Semester at Sea, a study abroad program sponsored by University of Virginia. There will be about 700 other students from all around the world on the ship with me. I'm so excited for this incredible journey! Because it's only about two months away, I'm busy getting ready for the trip, but it still doesn't seem real. I put my itinerary on the left so you'll be able to follow where I am whenever you check in.

Photo Courtesy Of: semesteratsea.org

The MV World Odyssey 

The ship taking me around the world is brand new to the program as of this fall, so it's exciting that my voyage will only be the second one to use it. They refer to the ship as a floating campus - it has a lot of the spaces that you would find on an ordinary campus, but still has the cruise ship feel to it. If you want to learn more about the ship, feel free to go to the "Our Ship" page on Semester at Sea's website. 

Courses at Sea

I'll be taking 12 credit hours while I'm away at sea. As both a math major and an education major, I had a hard time finding classes that related to my majors, so I'm taking a few classes that will count for Butler's Core Curriculum courses. I'm currently signed up to take Intro to Social Psychology, History of Modern China, Intercultural Communication, and Travel Writing. Each class is worth three credit hours and includes a field lab, which is like a field trip led by the faculty in a port city. To learn more about the courses, head to the course list for the Spring 2016 voyage. 

Since the ship doesn't run on a normal weekly schedule, my classes meet every day that we're at sea. We don't have normal weekends - they're the days we spend in port! Each day at sea is either an "A" or "B" day. I have two classes each day, so my days and schoolwork will hopefully be pretty balanced. 

In Country Travel

I'm super excited to be able to travel and experience so many different cultures around the globe. Semester at Sea gives me an opportunity that's definitely not possible through studying abroad in a single country. While in port, we have the option to travel independently or with programs provided through Semester at Sea. I'm doing a little bit of both because I want the experience and freedom of exploring the port cities we visit, but I also signed up for some bigger overnight trips with SAS that would be nearly impossible to plan independently. 

Right Now...

I'm trying to figure out what to pack. I'm waiting on my visas to process. I'm getting everything approved on Butler's end. I'm getting shots for Yellow Fever. It's pretty exciting and very busy. I'm so incredibly lucky to know that by this time next year, I will have traveled all around the world. I cannot wait for the entire experience.