Letter to Prospective Students,

First and foremost, you must take this great opportunity to travel the world on the Golden Bear. This has been such a great experience that I am going to remember forever. I am taking away many great memories and friendships. I would first like to give you a little information about lower berthing. I originally signed up for a state room, but when I arrived on the ship I was put in lower berthing because the state rooms were overbooked. My first thought of living with 15 other people made me uneasy, but now, after two months of it, I am so glad I lived down there. The weather on the cruise was so hot and the lower berthing was always cool because of the air conditioning. I heard a number of students who lived in the state rooms were always hot at night and could not sleep very well. Also, lower berthing is a little party. Many people hang out in lower berthing and I have some great memories because of it.

Try not to let money be an issue on the cruise. Take every opportunity you can because there is never going to be a time again in your life when you can do this. One way to save money is to eat on the ship while in port. You will spend the majority of your money on souvenirs and the night life, so I always try to catch the ship meals to save a little extra money. As for the night life, bring going out clothes. They say that there is not that much room for clothes, but I found it the opposite and I wished that I had brought more clothes. Also, there is a 1 am curfew for freshmen, sophomores, and juniors, and a 2 am curfew for seniors. At first I was very upset that we had a curfew and I felt like we were always being watched. Surprisingly, the curfew is not bad. Spending the entire day exploring the cities really tires you out, so when it starts to get around midnight you are exhausted and ready to go to bed. When getting back to the ship after a long night of partying, just be able to walk up the gangway on your own, be able to say your name and what division you are in, and there should be no problems.

Some of my favorite times aboard the Golden Bear were the sunsets. You cannot bet better sunsets than in the middle of the ocean. Practically every night students would go to the top deck and watch the sunset. It is such a relaxing time of the day. One thing that I want to warn you about is the classes. I originally thought the classes were going to be a cake walk and an easy A. To my surprise, you really have to spend time studying to earn good grades. Also, do not get behind because it is extremely difficult to catch up once ports come because there is no motivation to study while in port. One last thing I would like to mention is that almost all the students that come aboard this cruise with a girlfriend or boyfriend back home slipped up. Just think twice about it. I hope my letter has given you a little insight about the Golden Bear cruise. Please take this special opportunity to meet new people and see the world. Now I cannot wait for fall quarter to come to hang out with the great people I met on the ship.