Well, if you are reading this you are most likely very interested in going to the Cal Poly at Sea program. I really hope that you do. I do not want to tell you it was a perfect trip or that there weren't any frustrating moments, but overall I had the time of my life.

When I went we sailed around the South Pacific and had an amazing time. I saw places I would otherwise never have the chance to experience ... or the money. This is one of the cheapest ways to study abroad and see a lot of great places.

There are a few pieces of advice I would like to give you as you think about spending one quarter in the middle of the ocean somewhere. First, go! Take a chance and step out of your comfort zone and experience people, cultures, and lands you have not yet experienced. Second, be flexible. You will be living in a 500 ft. city with many other people. You have to be able to go with the flow and have a good time. There will be times when when the little things start to get to you, but you simply have to take a deep breath and realize that you are on a cruise that most people only dream about. Third, you are on the ship to get part of your education. Go prepared to study and participate. I was not prepared to do school work. I planned to slack off and it ended up being the opposite. It is 10 weeks of school pushed into 6 weeks so it flies by and papers are always due. Once it is over it does not seem that bad, but be prepared to work hard during the week and have way too much fun while in port. You will have an amazing time in port - I promise.

Now, I would like to let you know that you will be required to do a day or two of work in the kitchen (cleaning and bussing plates), about 15 minutes every other day at clean sweep down, and you will have to muster (line up on deck and receive announcements) every day, which gets very tedious. It is really all just part of the experience though. You might as well just smile and make the best of it.

The only thing that was significantly frustrating was the lack of communication, or miscommunication. We were told one thing at the Cal Poly meetings and another once we were out in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Just so you know now: you probably will not get to spend the night off the ship in port unless you have very special circumstances (family there).

I think that is basically all I would advise you to consider, but I do want to tell you that I highly recommend the program. It has been my best quarter yet. I now have 100 more friends than I had before. I have 14 more units out of the way. I know 4 professors pretty well. I traveled to Nuku Hiva, Tahiti, New Zealand, Australia, Fiji, and Hawaii. I also learned so much about myself through this trip I cannot even put it into words.

The people you will meet will be one of the best aspects of the trip. I have had a great time with my roommates, classmates, and travel mates. Think about it this way: if they are on the ship with you then you already have something in common because you are all adventurous enough to spend 8 weeks on a ship studying abroad.

It is my second to last night of the trip right now and I do not regret anything at all about coming. It was so refreshing to get away from the stresses of Cal Poly and to experience new things. I will remember this trip for my whole life and I hope to have the friends I have made here forever too. I wish you the best of luck. Remember to be flexible and have a good time!