Planning for four months around the world AND your current college semester? Easy, right?
So you’re going on Semester at Sea. This is exciting! As the thrill of the welcome video subsides (momentarily), your brain begins to list through all the new to-do items on your plate. Trust me, I’ve been there. Passport logistics? Travel vaccinations? Booking classes and field programs? Phone plans? It could be a full time job preparing for your travel abroad experience.
As any college student knows, time is…. finicky. It comes and goes. When it comes to planning all the important aspects of your Semester at Sea experience, consider this post your logistical guide to get it all done and not get overwhelmed. Balancing your SAS prep with your current college life is tricky but it’s not impossible. Most SAS alumni (excluding some gap year students) have been in your footsteps before and you’re going to be just fine. You got this!
Keep reading for the best tips (from a proud SAS alum!) on how to manage your Semester at Sea prep alongside your normal college curriculum.
Different Timelines
First, understand that EVERYONE is on a different time line when it comes to SAS preparation. My first day on board I discovered that one of my roommates had been preparing for SAS since she was in middle school. I found this surprising, considering I hadn’t even heard of the program until 6 months before embarkation day. As another case in point, one of my ship friends finalized his passport logistics two days before he flew out of the U.S to our embarkation port.
Preparing early has its advantages, but that does not mean you will not be prepared if you start a little later.
Leveraging the Semester at Sea To-Do List
SAS will send out communications sporadically in the time leading up to your voyage. This includes important information about various prep items such as class registration dates, travel visa applications, and health form submissions.
Semester at Sea has been around for a long time. They are the source of truth when it comes to what you will need to get on the ship and have a safe, healthy, and happy voyage. When these emails come, dedicate time to read them thoroughly so you do not miss action items. Don’t worry this is not another SPAM email from your economics professor.
Put Semester at Sea Deadlines in Your Calendar
Alongside your academic and social calendars, include SAS events and deadlines. This ensures that all your scheduling is in one place. You won’t have to worry about a conflict between your ultimate frisbee practice and a Semester at Sea live Q & A session.
I also highly recommend attending the pre-voyage info sessions. There were two of these held in the months leading up to embarkation day. From travel logistics to ship life to faculty introductions, these live sessions offered great information and gave the chance for parents and voyagers to ask real-time questions. (At least one of the sessions is recorded, so you can always rewatch it on your own time).
Tackle Bigger Action Items First
Personally, I found it more fun to research the port cities than to book a travel vaccination appointment. I also started to think about my packing list and what granola bars to bring before I even registered for classes.
Now, having the right clothing AND the right granola bars are both important. But, they are not so important if you can’t get into a country due to a visa issue or because you forgot to get your Yellow Fever vaccine. Prioritize the following areas to ensure that all the bases are covered, and then venture into the more “fun” stuff:
Health (doctor’s appointments, travel vaccines and medicine, advance supply medication ordering, etc.)
Passports and Visas
Financial Aid and Payment
Early Travel Logistics (flights and hotels in the embarkation city)
I used Passport Health as a one-stop shop for all my health related prep. These, and other travel clinics, are uber convenient and definitely worth it for busy college students. I was able to book an appointment that worked with my schedule. After discussing my itinerary, the travel nurse was super helpful and informative about all the required and recommended shots. She provided additional information and advice regarding safe food and water consumption, sun protection, infection prevention, etc. She also administered all of my necessary shots, so the only thing I had left to do was order malaria medicine through my family doctor.
Talk With Your Academic Advisor
As soon as you can, I’d recommend sitting down with your academic advisor to chat about your Semester at Sea plans. Your counselor will help you review the SAS course listings and determine which ones will work for your current path of study and keep you on track to graduate. Crossing the equator is fun, but so is crossing the graduation stage!
You want to avoid a hectic registration cycle. One way to do so is to know which classes will work for your academic plan. This way you will have backup options if your first choice class fills up.
Bonus Tip: If your SAS class registration time happens to be during the time of one of your classes, DON’T SKIP CLASS. The best option is to talk with your professor. Explain your situation and see if they are willing to let you step out of class for 5 to 10 minutes to click a few buttons. If they say no, be respectful and do not worry. Wait until after your class and then log on to the SAS portal to register. There is a lot of excitement around the registration times but you have plenty of time afterward to register for classes. Also, there is an in person add/drop meeting during the first week on board, so you definitely have flexibility.
Save Money
This tip is definitely subjective. Personally, the thought of saving a bit more money for SAS inspired me to pick up a few extra shifts at my campus job and overall be more conscious of how I was spending my money during my college semester. SAS is definitely an investment, and while you don’t need millions of dollars to have a great voyage, it is nice to have the available funds to do everything you want to do in your travels.
If you don’t have a campus job, do not run out and grab the first thing you find. This may lead you to feel more overwhelmed than its worth. Instead, focus on making smart money decisions using your future travels for motivation and accountability.
Use the Once a Week Strategy
As a college student, I stuck to many routines. I knew Thursday afternoons were for combinatorics homework and Monday nights were for grocery shopping. In my semester before SAS, I chose one time of the week (Friday afternoons) to do “SAS things” (logistics, read the Facebook page, research things to do in the port cities, etc). This approach kept me on track to accomplish what I needed to accomplish but didn’t overwhelm my entire week. I was also able to set specific goals for this time which made the to-do list more approachable and less overwhelming. For example, “this week I am going to fill out my bank’s travel notice with the SAS itinerary” and “next week I’m going to research my available options for phone plans.”
Keep a list of things that pop into your head each week related to SAS (concerns, questions, ideas, to-do, etc.). That way, you have a targeted list and set time to accomplish it. I looked forward to “SAS time” and also knew that I was staying on top of my schoolwork and other commitments.
Set Yourself Up to Leave. . . and Possibly to Come Back
My college semester before SAS was my last one on campus. Preparing for SAS meant preparing to leave the place I called home (away from home) for three and a half years. Honestly, I wasn’t too emotional about it but I did have to schedule in my last basketball game, my last trip to my favorite study shop, and a final run around my favorite neighborhoods.
If you will be returning to your home campus after SAS, be sure to set yourself up for a graceful departure and even better return! Ensure that any potential on-campus responsibilities for your SAS semester are taken care of sooner rather than later. For example, if you hold a leadership position in a club or Greek organization be sure inform others about your absence and plan for allocation as necessary. The technology on SAS is… okay. But with uncertain connection and differing timelines, its best to leave matters in the people who are on campus.
Also be sure to chat with roommates/housemates about your absence so that any necessary accommodations can be made (such as listing a sublet or interviewing new roommate candidates).
Interact With Your Voyagemates . . . In Moderation
SAS will have a Facebook group page for your voyage where you can meet other voyagers, find roommates and travel buddies, ask questions, and do some preliminary trip planning. Some groups on GroupMe and Snapchat formed too. Personally, I did not have the patience or interest in the roommate scavenger hunt. I figured that most people who go on SAS are adventurous and capable of communicating and living with others. I was willing to trust the random roommate selection, but it is totally valid if you think that’s crazy and choose to put in more effort for finding roommate (and friend!) compatibility.
I found the Facebook page slightly overwhelming. You can read more about my thoughts on the Pre Semester at Sea Facebook Group here. In that post I discuss more in depth the pros and cons of the page and whether or not you need to have plans before you leave home.
If you want to keep your college semester in line and not get burdened by a slew of SAS updates, use the following tips to manage the SAS socials.
Mute the GroupMe and check it once a week. Usually it is just 50 different people asking the same question, to which the answer can be found in the info packet. Excitement makes people a bit weird.
Sharing your initial travel plans can help you find travel buddies who are departing from the same city as you or arriving around the same time. (I found a girl who was flying from the PHL airport too. While we were on different flights, we landed in Dubai at roughly the same time. We met up and were able to split an Uber to our hotel! Very helpful to have a new friend when trying to decipher “Baggage Claim” in Arabic.)
Be friendly and introduce yourself but do not feel like you have to become best friends with everyone before Day 1. You will have plenty of technology-free time to do that on board and you will be just fine!
Let Yourself Be Excited
SAS is exciting and you should not wish away the anticipation! It’s all part of the fun! If you do find yourself thinking about Semester at Sea, harness that energy and explore other SAS resources. I found that watching vlogs from past travelers was super interesting and insightful and gave me a lot of perspective around the practicalities of transitioning to life on a ship. Reading other blogs as well as listening to podcasts are great ways to engage with SAS alumni and qualm any nerves you may have beforehand!
Be sure to check out my other SAS resources so you can have the best voyage ever!!
Thanks for stopping by and reading 🙂
~Katherine
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