Dear Prospective Quarter at Sea Student,

You are about to embark on an adventure because a trip on the Golden Bear really is a once in a lifetime experience. There is no other way that you can travel by sea to so many different countries and meet so many great people while you are studying. All aspects of the cruise are amazing including ports and the multiple days at sea. You may think that the work is going to be really hard because its on a “working vessel”, but it’s really not that bad at all. Even with classes and duties, you still have time to lay out on “steel beach” and get an awesome tan. One of the most rewarding parts of the trip is getting to know your professors and the officers on the ship because they are such a good resource to use when you are trying to get activities and trips organized. You are matched up into divisions, which are really fun to be in, and everyone bonds so much over the eight weeks.

One of the greatest parts of cruise for me was the Sinbad Games, which brought my division’s unity to an all time high when we had to practice our events, create t-shirts, and practice cheers for the day’s festivities. My division had the best time laughing, and dominated the games getting third place over-all. You are put with such a mixture of personalities on this trip that you end up being great friends with people that you would have never met otherwise.

We went to the South Pacific and had a wonderful time during the day and night. We did some culture outings like visiting a Fijian village, and visiting the Blue Mountains outside of Sydney, Australia which are things that I will remember forever and probably never get to do again. In the night we all went out to the bars together and even had “ladies night”, where all the girls went out. Do everything that you can during port time, and use the travel books in the library so that you don’t waste a lot of time trying to figure out where everything is. The ports go by so fast it’s like a whirlwind, but they are amazing!

Bring lots of vitamins because sickness on the boat passes around just like in the dorms. After every port I lost my voice for about a day. Also bring lots of movies and card games (our favorite was uno) because you will spend a lot of time watching movies and messing around in the lounges and classrooms. Bring tons of snacks and buy fresh fruit in port to eat while you’re at sea. My most valuable possessions were probably my camera, fleece jacket, backpack, snorkel gear, and enough money to go out to good dinners when in port.

Overall you will travel somewhere that few people will ever travel, across the ocean on a ship. I have not only experienced the natural beauty of four different countries, but most importantly I have experienced firsthand the power of nature and the ocean by being on the sea for weeks on end. For me, some of the most memorable times on this trip have occurred on the ship while in the middle of the ocean: seeing a clear sky full of stars with the Milky Way in full view, getting splashed by high swells over the bow, getting soaked in a sudden squall, being rocked to sleep by the motions of the boat, and seeing bioluminescence in the waters late at night are moments that I most likely will never experience again but I will hold with me for my entire life. This trip is the highlight of my college experience so far, so I hope that you choose to be adventurous and not worry about missing a couple of units and take this fabulous opportunity.