Literature Study Abroad Programs in Multiple Countries

I graduated from high school a semester early, and the only way I wanted to spend my semester was by being abroad. I've known about Semester at Sea for around 6 years and I wanted to take advantage of this opportunity. I searched up the requirements to be accepted and luckily fit all the requirements most importantly being 18, so immediately I applied. I then got an email back the next morning saying I got accepted into the program and that email brought me to tears in the middle of one of my classes. I couldn't wait to board the MV World Odyssey and embark on this journey of a lifetime. On the ship, I gained so much knowledge about different cultures and I was able to be fully immersed in them, not just sticking to the touristy things offered. Semester at Sea does an amazing job keeping the students' safety in country as a priority with having mandatory “Pre-Port meetings” the night before arriving in a country, and offering field programs which are ship run excursions with ship faculty leading them. The community on the ship was nothing I have ever experienced before. We were so close knit and it felt like I was truly in a connected, caring, and welcoming environment. I met the people I never imagined I'd connect with, and they ended up becoming the best connections I've ever made with people. Semester at Sea also helped me get out of my comfort zone which led me to have experiences I would have never imagined I'd have, best example being running a half marathon in Vigo, Spain even though I'm not a runner and have never been a runner. Semester at Sea has given me the world and the opportunity to appreciate it to its fullest. I left the ship with my passport full, but my heart is even fuller with people, memories, and connections I will forever cherish. Semester at Sea was truly the best experience I have ever had and would recommend it to anyone as it was life changing.

One of the most underrated aspect of semester at sea is the ship campus itself. Being able to live so close to your friends and just walking a few flight of stairs to your classroom and being able to sit down with your professors for lunch is such an amazing experience. It's eternal sunsets, it's endless travel stories from your friends, it's lifetime of memories. Highly recommend. One of the best decisions I made. And still day dream about this experience, still talk and travel to meet my SAS friends 4 years later.

I have not experienced anything like semester at sea before, therefore giving me a whole lot of different lenses to look at the world with. I completely enjoyed my experience and understand the importance of understanding others concerns, communication, communities, and countries. A overall wonderful experience that has changed my views as well as the way I live and who I am as a person.

I would 100% recommend CIEE study abroad to a friend or peer I had an amazing time and grew so much. The only disclaimer I would give is that it is very structured and feels like a school program (which it is ofc) but if you’re looking for a more independent living abroad experience it could be slightly different than expected

CIEE has very flexible and diverse programs. There are many different times and places students can study. At my university people are often apprehensive to study abroad so flexibly is very helpful and encouraging for short term or long term stays.

Studying abroad has been such a transformative experience for me. When you're in another country, you have no choice but to do your best and overcome any obstacles that come your way. I've discovered a resilience and perseverance within myself on this trip that I would never have realized if I had stayed at home. Of course, the reason I feel brave enough to take risks was because I knew CIEE was behind me every step of the way. With the support of the staff, I knew that I had someone in my corner; I felt emboldened to take risks and put myself out there. I think CIEE is the perfect program for people who want to test their limits and broaden their horizons.

I just studied abroad with SAS in spring of 2025. To say this experience changed my life would be an understatement. I cannot recommend this enough. The learning opportunities are amazing, the staff and faculty do everything they can to make this your home away from home, and the traveling experiences are ONCE IN A LIFETIME!

When I completed Semester At Sea in the fall of 2024, it was my first time traveling over seas. Growing up going on cruise’s I was super excited to start this new journey on the floating campus. Going in knowing no one else I was nervous but soon felt so welcomed, the community on the ship is amazing. Getting to travel the world with other college kids that have the same interest as you is such a wonderful experience. The professors and other staff members are there to make your learning come to life and it was magical to watch that happen, exploring your learning in each country was eye opening. Not only getting to explore a country but 10 countries allowed for a broad variety of cultures that we get to dive into and explore was so rewarding. I would 1000% go on Semester At Sea again and would recommend it to everyone if you’re deciding to study abroad.

I don’t even know where to begin! Semester at Sea was truly a life-changing experience. There’s no other program where you can see so many different places in a single semester. For example, I visited 10 countries across Asia, Africa, and Europe, experiencing diverse cultures and meeting people from all over the world. Semester at Sea also gives you incredible freedom: while docked, you can join field programs or explore each country independently. Through this journey, I not only learned about the world but also about myself. I became more independent, more confident, and gained a global perspective that has completely changed the way I see the world.

Semester at Sea was truly the most enriching and inspiring experience of my life. It was invaluable being exposed to so many beautiful cultures, connecting with students, faculty, and staff from around the world, and learning that the world is so vast and yet so interconnected. Because of SAS, I am a more empowered, empathetic, and curious person—and I will forever be grateful for my voyage.

Semester at Sea was by far the best experience I’ve ever decided to do in college! I got to travel to places that I never thought I would visit in my lifetime while also taking college courses. I also created so many lifelong friendships that I will cherish forever.

Studying abroad with Semester at Sea was hands down the best semester of my life. I had the chance to travel the world, meet amazing people, and experience so many different cultures (all of which helped me grow in ways I never expected). Every stop along the way challenged me to step outside my comfort zone and grow in ways a classroom never could. If you’re looking for a sign to just commit and do it, this is it. You won’t regret it!

Almost three years ago, I decided to apply for SAS and give this once far-fetched idea a try. As I covered logistics with my study abroad office, watched tons of videos about it, and read every handbook I could find, I thought I had it all figured out. But little did I know what would await. From newfound confidence in social situations, I learned many life skills, that have had a significant impact in personal growth. Today, whenever people ask me how my semester at sea was, I give them the biggest smile I can and attempt to summarize an experience that no words will ever do justice. I use adjectives like “amazing” and “life-changing” to describe something that was truly more than that. The thought of what this program was and what it did for me brings back so many memories, and I can’t even begin to describe them all in just 30 seconds. I instantly think of the daily bing bong announcements, Berlin story times, and never knowing what day of the week it was. Semester at Sea wasn’t just studying abroad, and traveling the world with some awesome friends. It was an experience built with challenges that translated to how I now view the world, and to me, that’s one of the greatest beauties of this program.

My experience with Semester at Sea was amazing and I would do it again if I could! Its such a unique study abroad program since you go to 10+ countries. I can confidently say it was the most transformative and impactful semester throughout my college experience.

I was part of the Fall 2024 APA:FMS program and my experience served as a pivotal point in my academic and personal life. So much so that I joined my colleges's study abroad advising team to urge students to not only go abroad but to go abroad with APA. My review will be divided into multiple parts, ranging from the program's structure to its impact, as I look back a year later. When I approached planing to study abroad my focus was on the country(ies) that I wanted to live and study in, I did not realize how much the program I selected would influence my experience. I was lucky to be recommended APA by a friend, but I think it should be public knowledge how much of a gem APA's structure is for anyone looking to study in a francophone country. The program's mission is immersion, so there is a great emphasis and effort put towards ensuring that students experience the country as a local would. This means the team of the program is greatly involved in helping the students navigate and integrate into local life. for example, I remember the program arranged for all students to arrive at the same time so that the director of the program could pick us up and welcome us to France. Another example of how APA go about immersion is excursions. APA value academic exposure as much as cultural exposure. Meaning, while in another program I would have to plan weekend-trip, and research on my own activities to do, APA already arranged. At the beginning of the program students receive both an academic and excursion calendar. Meaning Upon arrival I had a calendar packed with plays, concerts, wine tasting, cheese tasting. museums visit, and weekend getaway to different parts of the countries already planned and organized for me to attend. to go back to the involvement of the team, I remember how the founder of the program would sometimes join the cohort to attend concerts, we had mental-health workshops, and students were invited to have coffee chats with the founded of the program. Going abroad can seem daunting, but APA has such a diverse team and they are so involved, I not only felt supported but I felt like I joined a family. APA-FMS: APA-FMS is the acronym for the multi-country study abroad program I did with APA where during one semester I lived in studied in 3 countries! whenever it is proposed to students to go abroad it's often a semester in 1 country, so I was totally captivated by the idea that within one semester I could study in three countries across two continents with very different culture(France;Morocco;Senegal). It was the best decision I could have made. Aside from immigrating to the united states as a child I had never travelled, so the program was appealing for me in the sense that it would afford me the chance to travel and get to know the countries from a local perspective. AS part of the program students will stay in each country for 5-8 weeks, and take classes that will be taught across the historical context of three countries. YES, your institution will accept the credit for the FMS classes, I go to harvard and they counted the APA:FMS classes as elective credit, but I know other institutions will count the classes towards your major requirements. The FMS program requires that all students live in homestays, meaning with host family. I was little apprehensive about the concept but it turned out to be one of the best parts of the program. first the "host family" structure looks difference for everyone, while I stayed with a family of 6 with children, someone in the program lived with an elderly grandmother living alone, another a young filmmaker. The families we lived in depended on our preferences and requests. Staying with host families helped with my homesickness as I had a support system to whom I went home to every day abroad. In France, as a Christian, I was placed with a Christian family who took me to church on Sundays and nurtured my love for yogurt by teaching me how to make it fresh. In Morocco, my host mom taught me how to bargain and my host sisters helped me discover the beaches. In senegal my host mom taught me how to cook local cuisine, she took me to her favorite hairtylist, and took me to her friend's wedding. However, the beauty of FMS is that it ensured that my experience is one and my own. My friend in the program, who is a film major, was matched with host who is a young filmmaker so while I was making yogurt thursday nights, she was out at different bars in Paris brainstorming ideas for future projects. Additionally APA's mission of immersion carries on across all three countries, meaning in every countries we are taken to art exhibition, concerts, plays, movies, restaurants.APA also organized various week-end getways to different parts of each country. Meaning, while in lived in the capital of all three countries during the program, I am well acquainted to the country side of each country and various cities in each country. Ultimately studying in 3 countries was an amazing experience. APA-FMS taught me how to trust myself as I had to navigate three countries. The multi-country program APA offers is unique as it not only provides provides substantial support and resources for students to live and study in three countries but it helps students built a network of connection that will facilitate returning to these countries. Having done the program I now have the connection 12 professors spanning from France to senegal. One of the professors from the program even wrote my recommendation letter for an internship in Europe. Having done the program I have a network of loved ones across the world as a year later I am still in contact with my host families. Academic: the program has an academic structure where professors are solicited from different universities across the the country and come to the students to teach classes. This means that as part of the FMS program you are not going to be enrolling in a university in each country but rather APA will have professors come teach your cohort at their office space. The great plus of this structure is that the cohorts are not big so you will have the opportunity to get to know your professors who are often renowned for their work in the country. Another benefit of this structure is it facilitates participation, as you are not intimidated by local students but are learning with your friends in the program. My review is overwhelmingly positive, because my experience was overwhelmingly positive. But, while the reality of this program was fun, adventurous, exciting, and beautiful, it was also difficult in some ways. As a french program, immersing yourself in french in the classroom and home can be a challenge and at times tiring when you are not used to speaking french all the time. Therefore I would recommend watching french tiktoks, reading french book, and listening to french music before and throughout the program! I would also recommend doing APA’s pre-program where you go ahead of the program and APA’s teaching staff will help you become acquainted with academic writing in a francophone context. Travelling, living and studying broad in three countries within 4 months can also be mentally and physically taxing(fatigue and mental health). So keeping up with hobbies, families and friends back home, and resting is indispensable.

Semester at Sea was simply the best thing I have ever done. It's more than just a normal study abroad experience. With SAS, you get to travel the world while having a ship as your campus; I don't think anything can compare to that. They offer a wide variety of classes for any major, but they also have many classes that explore different aspects of the countries you are visiting to learn more about them. I took World Religions, World History, World Music, and everyone is required to take Global Studies. The professors are all so knowledgeable, and you can tell that they are all so passionate about what they teach. This program really exposes you to all sorts of different cultures and experiences that most people will never get to experience. The sailing aspect also allows you to connect with the other people in such a unique way. It's always so hard to describe it, but the people I met on this voyage will always hold such a special place in my heart, and I know we will still be in each others lives until the end of time. The whole experience really pushes you out of your comfort zone, and I know that I left such a better person than when I first got on. I recommend anyone who has the opportunity to go on one of these voyages, it is something you would never regret and would treasure for the rest of your life.

Because all of the staff here is extremely kind and helpful, plus the events are all super fun. Especially with CIEE BA as it is a smaller program, it is very personable, and the activities can be modified slightly if needed, which is very considerate and goes above and beyond what is expected.

Of all the decisions I’ve made, choosing Semester at Sea as my study abroad program was by far the best. I knew I wanted to explore multiple countries rather than stay immersed in just one, and when I discovered SAS in my university’s offerings, I immediately knew it was the perfect fit. Over four unforgettable months, I traveled to 10+ countries across 3 continents, creating lifelong memories along the way. The shipboard community is truly one-of-a-kind—tight-knit, supportive, and full of energy. I made some of my closest friends while learning about new cultures in the most hands-on way possible. From visiting the Taj Mahal to riding camels in the Sahara Desert, each moment was unforgettable. I couldn’t have asked for a more enriching, exciting, or transformative experience. I’m forever grateful for Semester at Sea—and I hope you find a journey just as meaningful.

Semester at Sea changed my life in more ways than I thought possible. I had incredible travel experiences like visiting the Taj Mahal in India, spending a night under the stars in the Western Sahara Desert in Morocco, and seeing penguins at Boulders Beach in South Africa. But all of my travel memories were made so much more meaningful through the classes I took while on Semester at Sea. Learning about the diverse cultures of the countries we visited through lenses of literature, religion, social change, and global studies was an unmatched opportunity. Additionally, I took oceanography during a span where the ocean was truly my home. In addition to my travels and academics, Semester at Sea brought me lifelong friends from all around the globe. In 4 short months, the strangers I boarded the ship with became my family. If you are considering doing SAS, this is your sign!! I have 0 regrets and will cherish this experience for the rest of my life. I am already a year out and I still find a way to bring up SAS in conversation every single day.

I absolutely loved getting to know 400+ students on a ship while traveling across 3 continents. I traveled through Thailand, Malaysia, India, Kenya, Mozambique, South Africa, Ghana, Morocco, Portugal, and Germany. Having classes while on the ship and getting to learn about my major in different ports was so interesting.