Semester at Sea

[Heidi13]

9 hours ago, chengkp75 said:

I am going to show prejudice here, when I note that as a Kings Point grad, we had 2 "semesters at sea", as opposed to the summer cruises of the state academies.  Unlike those cruises, where there were a hundred or more cadets to do the work of 5, KP midshipmen/women had an experience more like Andy's British-style education, where you were a working member of a working cargo ship, and you had to complete studies in your off-hours.  Then, the 4 years of classes for a BS degree were compressed into the 3 remaining years of your academy experience.  While I have worked with vastly more state academy graduates in my career than KP grads (just due to the number of schools), I have found good and bad examples from all the academies.  But, the travel involved, in my day mostly tramp (no fixed itinerary) steamers led me to follow the sea for over 4 decades.

 

When at sea, we had a monthly study package to complete, comprising a paper from each of the 6 or 7 subjects. Basically we taught ourselves from the text books, or went to the officers for help.

 

Had to submit the completed package to the Chief Officer each month, which was then sent to the college for marking and then to the company for review. 

 

For deck work and the other departments, we had to maintain a task record book. Whenever we were proficient in a listed skill, we had to present it to one of the Officers, who if satisfied, signed it off. Monthly, we had to present our record book to the Master.

 

Even as Cadets, we were standing solo cargo and deck watches, well before attaining 2nd Mate FG. As 3rd Officer, a few times, I picked up the Pilot and handed over to him before the Master, Staffy and C/Off arrived on the Bridge.

[shipgeeks]

Thank you for all the replies!  All very interesting.

As Zach and Fred rightly surmised, I was referring to the non-nautical, university program named Semester at Sea.  I first became aware of it while teaching at the University of Pittsburgh.  Several of my colleagues spent a semester aboard.  When I learned that the ship being used at that time, SS Universe Explorer, was the former SS Brasil of 1957, I was hooked.  The idea of spending 100 days aboard a classic liner of that period, while all the others (Regal Empress, Norway, Premier ships) were disappearing, was thrilling!

I came close to putting in an application several times.  What finally turned me the other way was the realization that, although I loved and enjoyed my students - for an hour at a time - I didn't want to be with them 24/7.  Fred, you helped me realize that I made the right decision.

[FredT]

2 minutes ago, shipgeeks said:

Fred, you helped me realize that I made the right decision.

LOL..... Now I am wondering if I phrased things right.  As we speak my daughter (Now 35) has an application in with SAS, and I have a niece whose husband (doctor) contracted to a cruise last spring (Cancelled, but he is still interested)  Both were swayed by the knowledge that while you may be at sea 5-6 days at a time with all the kids, you then are in port 5-6 days at a time with NONE of them.....    And the crew does make sure that while at sea the zoo is completely under control...... 😁   I know that both my wife and I have spoken about signing up on one of their round the world cruises (They keep a number of staterooms available for "lifelong learners",   otherwise known as "old farts"....)   We still may go for it someday. 

[shipgeeks]

Fred, Thank you for your further thoughts!  Do I have to rethink things again??

[kimlovesfl]

Semester at Sea is an actual program based from the University of Pittsburgh, at least it was when I was in college. I knew one person who did this, and she loved it. She traveled in Europe and the mid-East, as I recall. It was quite expensive even back in the 80s, when college was far cheaper than it is now. 

[ColeThornton]

45 minutes ago, kimlovesfl said:

Semester at Sea is an actual program based from the University of Pittsburgh, at least it was when I was in college. I knew one person who did this, and she loved it. She traveled in Europe and the mid-East, as I recall. It was quite expensive even back in the 80s, when college was far cheaper than it is now. 

 

Pitt was the Academic Sponsor back then and subsequently U of Virginia and currently Colorado State.

 

https://www.semesteratsea.org/contact/our-history/

[Flatbush Flyer]

4 hours ago, ColeThornton said:

 

Pitt was the Academic Sponsor back then and subsequently U of Virginia and currently Colorado State.

 

https://www.semesteratsea.org/contact/our-history/

Thanks for jogging my memory. It was Pitt that inquired about sending their students on the summer cruise of the California Maritime Academy’s Training Ship - Golden Bear. Once they realized it was a “working” ship (for all aboard), their interest waned quickly. At the same time, their academic pursuits did not meet our criteria for direct relationship to maritime education and/or experience.

[shipgeeks]

Interesting!  That's an aspect I was not aware of.

SAS does have a history of quite a variety of ships.  I listed them in my post under "What Ever Happened To..."

[kimlovesfl]

On 2/28/2021 at 2:51 PM, ColeThornton said:

 

Pitt was the Academic Sponsor back then and subsequently U of Virginia and currently Colorado State.

 

https://www.semesteratsea.org/contact/our-history/

Thanks. I'm completely out of that loop now. It was something I wished I could have done when I was a student, but the cost wasn't covered by scholarships and grants, and there is no way my family had the money for me to do this.

[FredT]

On 3/2/2021 at 2:06 PM, kimlovesfl said:

Thanks. I'm completely out of that loop now. It was something I wished I could have done when I was a student, but the cost wasn't covered by scholarships and grants, and there is no way my family had the money for me to do this.

When my daughter brought up possibly going, I looked her in the eye and said "OK... as long as ALL of the credits are transferable, AND the cost is not more than your tuition for the semester..."   (I thought that this would shut her up and end the conversation.) Instead she threw her arms around my and yelled "THANK YOU DADDY"....  It took weeks for my wife to talk to me again.  

[navybankerteacher]

3 hours ago, FredT said:

When my daughter brought up possibly going, I looked her in the eye and said "OK... as long as ALL of the credits are transferable, AND the cost is not more than your tuition for the semester..."   (I thought that this would shut her up and end the conversation.) Instead she threw her arms around my and yelled "THANK YOU DADDY"....  It took weeks for my wife to talk to me again.  

How long did it take your daughter to talk to you after you cited  the 150% cost and 75% credit of that playtime  -- and told her to go back to UConn (or wherever)?

[FredT]

19 hours ago, navybankerteacher said:

How long did it take your daughter to talk to you after you cited  the 150% cost and 75% credit of that playtime  -- and told her to go back to UConn (or wherever)?

Naah.....   Deep down I loved the idea, and lived vicariously through her for the whole 94 days...    (Of course there WAS the time she  called when she found they would not take a C/C on a sleepaboard (open) boat in the western Amazon.....   And the time she got sick after eating the live beating heart of a cobra in east Bumf*^# Viet Nam.....   but overall it was all good, and I feel that as her parents we got more than our money's worth. 

[navybankerteacher]

1 hour ago, FredT said:

Naah.....   Deep down I loved the idea, and lived vicariously through her for the whole 94 days...    (Of course there WAS the time she  called when she found they would not take a C/C on a sleepaboard (open) boat in the western Amazon.....   And the time she got sick after eating the live beating heart of a cobra in east Bumf*^# Viet Nam.....   but overall it was all good, and I feel that as her parents we got more than our money's worth. 

You evaded the essence of my question:  how much extra did it cost, and did she get a full semester’s worth of credit towards graduation?

[FredT]

8 minutes ago, navybankerteacher said:

You evaded the essence of my question:  how much extra did it cost, and did she get a full semester’s worth of credit towards graduation?

Did not evade your question... Did not understand what you were trying to say.  

 

Cost for the trip (What I had to pay to SAS was 16,500.00, 2000 LESS than tuition I was paying, not even figuring what I had to pay for room and board) 

 

And yes.   Not only did the university accept ALL of the credits, but on return she transferred to another University and THEY accepted all of her credits.  

[shipgeeks]

1 hour ago, navybankerteacher said:

You evaded the essence of my question:  how much extra did it cost, and did she get a full semester’s worth of credit towards graduation?

I think he answered those on  page 1.

[rkacruiser]

Not directly related to Semester at Sea, but the 2021 Winter issue of Power Ships, the journal of the Steamship Historical Society of America has an interesting article one person's experience as a maritime academy's student Cadet on merchant ships as part of his training to get his license to become a Merchant Marine Officer.  Not all "fun and games" to be sure!

[navybankerteacher]

2 hours ago, shipgeeks said:

I think he answered those on  page 1.

Actually all he said in that earlier post was that he WOULD agree IF the costs were no more and the credits were all transferable -- and that she was overjoyed.

[FredT]

11 hours ago, navybankerteacher said:

Actually all he said in that earlier post was that he WOULD agree IF the costs were no more and the credits were all transferable -- and that she was overjoyed.

Hey.....   a well versed scribe I am not!  (How I ever made it through college, not to mention grad school is something I constantly marvel at!) 

 

What I SHOULD have added was:  When I told her THAT, she threw her arms around me and thanked me "because she knew that both criteria were met and I was giving her the OK".  

 

You KNOW we are all going a little stir crazy when we have no travels to talk about and things like this dominate cruise critic!   😁

Edited March 5, 2021 by FredT

[navybankerteacher]

54 minutes ago, FredT said:

...

 

You KNOW we are all going a little stir crazy when we have no travels to talk about and things like this dominate cruise critic!   😁

Especially while dealing with the frustration of finally being able to afford cruising, having finally gotten through the drought of the “tuition years” - and now lacking travel options.

[FredT]

53 minutes ago, navybankerteacher said:

Especially while dealing with the frustration of finally being able to afford cruising, having finally gotten through the drought of the “tuition years” - and now lacking travel options.

Yes... YES....YES!!!!!!! 

 

And add to that, starting to realize that we are not gonna live forever, and therefore beginning to count the (good) travel years we have left..... (And loosing 2 and counting) 

[shipgeeks]

Check out the new post on What Ever Happened To...

Lots of information, and a nifty picture of one of the ships.