Dear Prospective Cal Poly at Sea Students,

I’m glad that you are taking the time to read a few of these letters about the Cal Poly at Sea experience you may be thinking of signing up for. The first thing I want to tell you is to DO IT!!! If you are looking for a typical college study abroad program, then please don’t, because you won’t be able to handle it! There is no other experience like it in the world . . . literally. the word “amazing” describes pretty much any aspect of the quarter you spend on the open sea, in foreign countries, and with new faces. I was excited to sign up for the program the moment I heard about it, but I did have a few reservations. They were quickly erased the day we set sail and everything was underway. I thought I would have a hard time making friends because I wasn’t into drinking like everyone else seemed to be, but I ended up making so many friends and having the time of my life doing fun and crazy things with them. All of us are already thinking about how great it will be to see each other around campus in the future, how we will be able to look back at all the great times we had together and to our future reunions.

I learned so much about myself on the trip as well. Sometimes there are certain people that you’d never see yourself hanging out with if you saw them walking on campus. I had a similar mind set when the trip started, but it dissipated quickly. Hanging out with so many different people in ports and on the ship is what made the most friends. If you go out with the same people all the time, you’ll be missing out on getting to know amazing people.

If you are the adventurous type, every port will provide an experience like no other you have had before. If you are a more quiet or reserved person, the people around you will help you out of your shell. If you think you are uncontrollably crazy and that no person or city can control your energy, you will find others like you as well - just make sure that you have a responsible friend who’s got your back so you stay out of trouble.

When it comes to classes and the school stuff, I wish that the previous students had told us to take classes credit/no credit because it takes off a little pressure. Do make sure to keep up on the reading when you have the chance to (especially when tanning up on the top deck). Bring your own books, since I found that sharing them actually makes studying a little complicated when everyone is studying for the same tests at the same time.

Lastly, if you do sign up for this trip, remember these things: enjoy every sunset because they are all beautiful, eat meals with new people, have the CMA guys teach you about the things they are learning, don’t eat too many desserts, make sure you take digital pictures of anything you do so you can remember it forever, and keep a travel journal.