Jade's Semester at Sea Fund

Jade McGuire Start Date: Sep 12, 2013 - End Date: Jan 9, 2014
  • Various Locations, Multiple Countries

My Travel Story

by: Jade McGuire Start Date: Sep 12, 2013 - End Date: Jan 9, 2014

I first found out about Semester at Sea when I was still in High School, and immediately fell in love with the idea. Once I entered college and started looking at study abroad options, I found that my heart was still set on Semester at Sea. The expense of the journey however, is way more than any other study abroad option. Being the frugal person that I am, I decided to rule Semester at Sea out and explore different study abroad options. I spent a long time looking at different programs in all sorts of different countries, and discovered that I couldn't find one that I really wanted to do; my heart was still somewhere else. My grandmother was the one who convinced me that if I was going to study abroad I needed to do what I really wanted to do. So I applied for Semester at Sea and got accepted into the program! My hope is that the financial aid I applied for through Semester at Sea along with the financial aid I get from the University of Maine and any other scholarships I apply for will pay for my full tuition (including room and board on the ship) for the program. Where I need your help, is everywhere else. I still need to come up with the money for plane tickets, visas, vaccinations, travel expense while in country (including food) and hopefully have some left over so I can have some fun!

For those of you who aren’t quite sure what Semester at Sea is, let me give you a brief description. Semester at Sea is a study abroad program in which I go to school on a boat with about 600 other students. The classes I take on the boat all relate to the countries we get to visit. One of the classes I am most excited about is a class that compares the educational systems of all the countries we get to visit. Being an Elementary Education major, I feel that this class will give me a new perspective on education that I can hopefully apply in my own classroom someday. Along with classes, Semester at Sea provides different field trips while in the countries. Some of the ones I am really looking forward to are visiting different orphanages, spending the night with a family in Ghana, and getting to walk alongside and ride elephants (this one is part of a 4 day safari).

If you have any questions about my trip or want to hear more about it, please feel free to contact me! I love talking about Semester at Sea, so I will never turn down an opportunity to do so.

Check out which countries we will be visiting below!

  • Various Locations, Multiple Countries

Updates

3

  • Change In Itinerary

    I receieved and email from Semestera at Sea yesterday that said the following:


    The itinerary for Semester at Sea's Fall 2014 voyage has been altered to address a

    logistical issue that arose since the initial itinerary was established. SAS itineraries

    are subject to change at any time for safety and/or logistical reasons.

    The itinerary changes are reflected on the  http://www.semesteratsea.org/voyages/fall-2014/ , and summarized as follows:

    • We removed Cape Town and Buenos Aires from the itinerary.

    • We have added Dakar (Senegal), Salvador (Brazil), and Bridgetown

    (Barbados); you'll note that these changes shift the Atlantic crossing

    northward.

    • Cuba was recently added to the itinerary (substituting Puerto Rico) after

    the Office of Foreign Asset Control (U.S. Treasury) granted the Institute

    for Shipboard Education a license to visit for the purpose of educational

    exchange.

    Additional, corresponding changes:

    • Salvador is adjoined to Rio de Janeiro, creating an eight-day overland

    option.

    • Port stays are increased by one day each in St. Petersburg, Hamburg, and

    Le Havre/Antwerp (creating a six-day overland option).

    We worked closely with University of Virginia colleagues, including your academic

    dean Dave Breneman, to assess the various scenarios and determine the best

    course. We are excited that the revised itinerary includes three new ports and

    increases port stays in three locations.

     

    While I am upset in not being able to visit Cape Town, I am very excited to now be going to Barbados and have extra days in Germany, Russia and France/Belgium!

  • Semester At Sea Culture