Dear Prospective Cal Poly Cadet,

That's right, I just called you a Cadet. You might be wondering what that is right now. When you come on this cruise, you become part of the infrastructure of the Training Ship Golden Bear. You literally become a crew member and therefore are treated as such. This is one of the most important concepts to grasp if you come on this trip. You are not just a passenger! You will have your classes, which take first priority, but you will also have kitchen duty two or three days throughout the cruise and you will have an area of the ship to keep clean every day. This is not a big deal if you see yourself as a crew member and will only add to your experiences on board.

I looked into this trip way late and just kind of jumped into it. It seemed like an incredible experience, something that I could not pass up, and I have no regrets! However, I would have liked to know what it was that I was getting myself into, and I hope that I can help you out with that a little. I took three courses on this trip and a one unit journaling course, for a total of 12 units. I recommend this amount as you will not want to spend all of your time studying. There is a relaxed atmosphere here and the professors are so great!!! Never in your college career will you experience this kind of relationship with your professors. They, along with all of your shipmates, become your family. If you didn't like this aspect of the dorms, you probably won't like it on the ship either - just to warn you. You bunk with two other Cadets, probably from Cal Poly, and you share a toilet and shower with another room. You eat three meals a day together, go to class together, and spend you free time together. I loved every minute of it!! There are plenty of times to be by yourself however, which are invaluable for your sanity. You will also make friends with the cadets from the California Maritime Academy, which will open up your social sphere beyond Cal Poly.

You might notice that I have put an emphasis on the 'on ship' time, while you are probably only looking at this trip because of the ports. You will be spending most of your time on the ship. Ports are like incredible vacations about once a week. I cannot explain in words what it was like in the places that we visited. These experiences will last a lifetime. You will probably hang out at port with people that you have become friends with while on ship, creating incredible memories. You will go to all of the tourist traps and hidden native spots, adventuring into the countryside and probably party into the early morning. I feel like I saw the world, I experienced so much that I will never be able to come close to ever again. I sometimes wish that I could be more objective about this trip without romanticizing it so much, but it is all so true! I am not exaggerating anything. I had the time of my life and I'm not sure how anything will ever top this.

Make sure that this is right for you though. This was my freshman year and I left the dorms to do this. You leave your life for two months - be ready for that. Those two months have the potential to be the best two of your life however - be ready for that also.