Abroad101: Study Abroad Reviews

At Sea Adventures August 06, 2026

By (Biology and environmental studies, Brandeis University) - abroad from 03/03/2026 to 05/28/2026 with

Sea Education Association: Plastics and Biodiversity in the Sargasso Sea

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
I learned that I love being at sea, even when it's hard. I learned that I like field research, and being awake at odd hours figuring things out.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 1 month - 6 months

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

The exciting part of this program was the research, and we seriously dove in with that aspect. The coursework was in turn very supportive of the main goal of the program.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

There was occasionally some lack of clarity in what the plan was for the voyage (understandable because this was the first time it ran), but otherwise was very well organized.

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

The cabin housing at the Falmouth/Woods hole campus is perfect. It fosters good community. The bunks on the SSV Corwith Cramer are sailboat bunks. They are kept incredibly clean and neat with good reason.

* Food:

Food was provided by ourselves during the on-shore component with a very generous budget. Food on the ship was provided by our stewards, who were wonderful and accommodating.

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

This is difficult. The culture of the ship 5/5, the culture of the two islands we visited, 3/5, just because we spent less than a week at docks and there wasn't a lot of time to do things. The campus and area around woods hole, 4/5.

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I was seasick. It was hard to get my daily dosage of anti-nausea medication. I also had medications that I had to take at the same time every day which was difficult to arrange and keep track of on the ship but it worked out in the end.

* Safety:

Safety at sea is taken incredibly seriously.

If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? Yes

I loved sailing through the Sargasso Sea. I dearly hope that I will have a chance to go back on the Cramer some day.

Finances

* Money: How easily were you able to live on a student's budget?

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

I worked hard to get financial aid, which I used to its fullest extent here.

Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? >$30
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? You can't buy anything on a boat.

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? No

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Dorm
  • Other
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans
  • Other
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans
About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? 0

A Look Back

* What did you like most about the program?
  • The sense of camaraderie among students, crew, deckhands, professors.
  • The sense of quiet, calm solitude on the ocean
  • The chance to prove to myself that I can do hard things, like steer a 2000 ton ship through fog, or stand on the bow in a gale
* What could be improved?
  • Communication about some logistics
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? How exhausting it is in the moment.

Reasons For Studying Abroad

To help future students find programs attended by like-minded individuals, please choose the profile that most closely represents you.
The Academic or Linguist
You went abroad with specific academic goals in mind; the program credentials and rigor of your coursework abroad were very important to you. You had a great time abroad, but never lost sight of your studies and (if applicable) were diligent with your foreign language study. Good for you!

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:

Marine Environmental History
Course Department:
Instructor: Jeff Wescott
Instruction Language: English
Comments: Dr. Jeff Wescott's expertise as an anthropologist is a perfect compliment to the scientific work of this program, and provides a human perspective for how research works in conjunction with culture.
Credit Transfer Issues:
Course Name/Rating:

Ocean Science and Public Policy
Course Department:
Instructor: Jeff Wescott
Instruction Language: English
Comments: Helped tie in the Bermuda backdrop of the middle part of the trip, given their involvement in the emerging world of MPAs.
Credit Transfer Issues:
Course Name/Rating:

Leadership in a Dynamic Environment
Course Department:
Instructor: Captain Allison Taylor
Instruction Language: English
Comments: Some of the work was useful and transferable to life on the ship and elsewhere, some of it was just a little bit too self-referential. The final written cover letter is not useable in any communication with potential hiring managers.
Credit Transfer Issues: This was the one course I did not get any credit for. Only one student on the trip was, and it was an elective in communications.
Course Name/Rating:

Advanced Topics in Biological Oceanography
Course Department:
Instructor: Sarah Kingston
Instruction Language: English
Comments: This course gave us a solid background in topics of physical, geographical, chemical, and biological oceanography, with a much deeper dive into biological oceanography especially given the 12 week schedule. There were lectures and readings which gave background for the topics we would be researching in the research component of the program. The only thing that was wanting was the crash course in R, which didn't help me learn the programing language at all.
Credit Transfer Issues:
Course Name/Rating:

Directed Oceanographic Research
Course Department:
Instructor: Sarah Kingston
Instruction Language: English
Comments: This is what we were at sea for. All of the work that went into writing these proposals, manuscripts, and reports was incredibly rewarding and fun. The topics were relevant especially to the Sargasso Sea where we studied, and to the difficult time we live in with the climate.
Credit Transfer Issues: