Policies & Rules of Semester at Sea! Drinking? Skydiving? Prohibited Activities? What NOT TO PACK!

[@ranyaahmed8641]

Stan the only person who tells everything we need to know abt SAS!!!!

[@jessshorst]

:)) doin my best!

[@annaberkowitz4231]

omg you are soooo underrated!! I can't tell you how much these videos have inspired me! I might have 7 years until I can go... but I guess I'll be supa prepared! thank you so much!!

[@jessshorst]

awww that makes me so happy to hear 🥰 i’m super excited for you!!!

[@17penguins1700]

Can you do a video for people who are still doubting it? Like talk about what made you decide to do it, how it has changed your life, etc.

[@jessshorst]

For sure! That's a really good idea, and would probably be helpful for a lot of people :)

[@aimeeveldhuisen2831]

Yes! I neeeeed this!

[@annikabeck8627]

I’m going on the spring 2022 voyage and your videos help so much! I can’t wait and thanks for all the help

[@jessshorst]

awww exciting! yay!

[@shellyhorst5361]

Wow! You are so knowledgeable about so much! Thank you for sharing! This video was super helpful! Did you do anything super risky but worthwhile in any of your ports?

[@jessshorst]

I did... but I knew it was on me if I got hurt!

[@sarahchaika800]

I’m dying to go for my gap year because the college i want to go to doesn’t work with sas, do you know any gap year scholarships?

[@jessshorst]

I don’t think there’s any scholarships specifically for gap year students, but there are tons you can apply to regardless!

[@narni2950]

There is no specific scholarships for gap year students, however, their is still many you can apply for!!! I'm also looking to go as a gap year student, and have found MANY scholarships where I meet the prerequisites and criteria! So definitely read into all the scholarships that you believe fit you :)

[@dasiaskipper2537]

Did you take any videos on the ship?!?! If you did you should make a cute little compilation of your time there!!!!!!❤️

[@jessshorst]

Ughhhhh I WISH!!!! I have a million photos but never considered making videos after the voyage/didn’t even know how until this month, but if I could go back in time I would’ve documented so much more!

[@sachicarlynlozano2412]

hey! i saw a few people from past voyages doing crazy extreme things like bungee jumping, sky diving etc. would you know if that was through the SAS field programs? or did they just do those things anyway knowing that SAS insurance didn’t cover those things?

[@jessshorst]

any of that is something people do on their own!! SAS technically doesn’t want you to do that stuff, and says it’s against their rules/policies, so a lot of times people don’t post pics/vids of that until the voyage is over so that they don’t get in trouble :) it’s just risky/a liability for SAS, even though you probably won’t get hurt or anything!

[@sachicarlynlozano2412]

@@jessshorst thank you!! i also saw in another video that you replied to a comment saying that you think the ideal age for going on SAS is 19-22! I’m 18 and looking to go on the SASSP22 voyage so I was just wondering if you think I’d feel left out because I’m younger? or if you found that the age thing doesn’t really matter and people of all different ages generally become friends? thanks again for responding :) I look forward to hearing from you!! hehe

[@jessshorst]

@@sachicarlynlozano2412 I think you could still make friends with people of all ages on the ship, and you'll absolutely get close to the people your same age because I think they have all gap year students (not sure if you're going as a gap year or as a freshman!) take a class together, like a "freshman seminar" sort of thing. I would just not recommend going if you're 17 as a gap year student because all bars in the countries and drink nights on the ship are 18+, so then you would probably be left out of nighttime plans!

[@essieesther9223]

I found this really hopeful thanks. By any chance do you know any students from ur voyager who went to a uni in England

[@jessshorst]

i didn’t, but you should totally apply anyway!

[@essieesther9223]

Jess Horst ok thanks

[@aliezasamad1475]

What do you do if your college doesn't offer SAS?

[@jessshorst]

my school didn’t offer it either! but the credits can still transfer even if your school doesn’t advertise this program... what i had to do was actually withdraw from my college for a semester, and did that by talking to the dean. i didn’t have to reapply or anything bc i was in good academic standing and had no behavioral issues, but if you had a low gpa you might have to reapply to your college after going on SAS

[@jessshorst]

but i think SAS works for really all colleges! you can ask a dean or someone if you took classes elsewhere (such as colorado state, where SAS is based through) if those credits would count towards your degree. and if they say yes, then SAS will work for you!

[@augustwest5273]

I remember students stacking 30 cans of beer on the tables and getting as many as you can before the bar closes. We also had a 1 bottle of liquor limit per country which allowed us to have cocktails before dinner. I’m F90 alumni. The 2 drink limit beer or wine, is a little over protective. I understand from an insurance perspective but these are college students and we never had an issue. I wonder how hard they enforce it now a days. Wow drug testing too! Not that I support the use , but it’s a little “Police state-ish”. I just found your channel as I’m doing research for my daughter who is going S22. Whoa can’t rent a car or scooter? Or is it just frowned upon and the liability is on you? Can you still sleep on the top deck outside under the stars ?

[@jessshorst]

yeah, they’ve definitely added more rules over the years!! i wish it was more relaxed, but unfortunately their alcohol policy is pretty strict these days. of course, when you’re off the ship you are just asked to follow the rules of the country you’re in when it comes to alcohol.

[@jessshorst]

and i guess they can’t stop you from renting a car or scooter, but if they found out you would face repercussions once on board, mostly because they don’t want safety issues and have had injuries occur in the past! but yes, you can definitely still sleep on the top deck :)

[@augustwest5273]

@@jessshorst one thing you may want to add for a video in a very discrete way is for female passengers to really make sure there’s no way that they could be pregnant before starting the voyage. We had a really wonderful friend who had to fly to Thailand for an unfortunate procedure since she had no clue of her condition. Unfortunately, s happens but that’s not the place you want to have to deal with it. I can’t wait to see the rest of your videos as I help my own daughter prepare for her voyage. Also, I can not wait to be a Life long learner as it’s always been my dream after the best experience of my life in Fall of 1990

[@alyssaharford98]

Is the tape rule only specific types of tape or all tape because I like to journal and watercolor landscapes that I see and I use washi tape to decorate journal pages as well as create boarders on my paintings. Would washi tape be an option or no?

[@jessshorst]

i saw people with washi tape on the ship!! i guess just don’t have it in plain site when you’re packing, and then definitely don’t put it on your walls and it’ll be no problem!

[@caitystueck1803]

Once you are at your destination are all the extra things out of pocket cost?

[@jessshorst]

yep, you’re free to do whatever you want!

[@cierraleon647]

i know u mentioned that cigarettes are allowed. does this include vapes containing nicotine?

[@jessshorst]

no... weirdly enough they allow you to have real cigarettes, but not juuls or vapes

[@jessshorst]

a weird distinction to have for sure!

[@lucyguerrero7883]

Are u able to bring ziplocs/ sealable baggies or Tupperware with closable lids so u can be able to bring food from the dining hall or wherever, back to ur cabin to save for later?? Also, I LOVE ur video!!

[@lucyguerrero7883]

also are crocs going to be considered "closed toed shoes"? lol

[@jessshorst]

it sucks but they don’t really want you to be eating in your room! people do it all the time, but they recommend bringing snacks that can be resealed or are single servings... you could probably sneak fruit out of the dining hall but they’d definitely notice if you took anything else!

[@jessshorst]

hahaha omg crocs that’s amazing 😂 those would work i think! as long as you think your foot would be safe if a heavy door slammed on it if you were going over rough waves! the main concern is that people wear flip flops and end up hurting themselves, but i think crocs seem safe enough 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

[@lukameisimre2557]

Your videos are super nice but they are little to quiet.

[@Bakura-wb6ds]

What happens if you don’t like wearing pants? Because I have a sensory processing disorder and I don’t like wearing tight clothes or pants

[@jessshorst]

they definitely don’t need to be tight, they can be as loose as you need! but if it’s an issue where you aren’t able to wear them at all, send your dean a message and it’ll be excused 👍🏻

[@MissAllspice]

What kind of drugs? Like weed? Or other harder drugs?

[@jessshorst]

I think that weed is still prohibited on the ship! You can have regular cigarettes/tobacco but unless something has changed since my voyage that was the rule!

[@noelmontesa7769]

I'm thinking of teaching on the SAS program. I'm a UVA professor in Accounting. How are the professors teaching on the SAS program? I have only seen one article on teaching for SAS. Curious what you think as a student.

[@jessshorst]

Every professor I had good, and seemed to care about their students a lot! I think there really is a lot of variety in the caliber of classes offered depending on what school the professors come from...

[@jessshorst]

The group of professors on my trip seemed very diverse, from all over the country and also different nationalities through out the world! Also something amazing is that many of them brought their spouses, or sometimes even their kids, and that was a great opportunity for their whole family. Sometimes the spouses work on the ship teaching the kids or something, so that’s always an option too.

[@jessshorst]

I’d say the professors that were extremely organized before getting on the ship tended to have better results, because making things up on the fly can be difficult without good internet connection.

[@jessshorst]

I think you should totally apply to teach, it’s an experience unlike any other!! All the professors, as well as the whole ship community get super close by the end of the voyage, and it seems fun to structure the curriculum around the different countries we go to.

[@noelmontesa7769]

@@jessshorst Thank you. This possibility won't be available to me until 2026 when I retire. I am an adjunct for UVA for the past 11 years. My interest is to help students (the next generation) and I think 16 weeks of this voyage would be a fun experience. I love to travel and have done so, so some of the places this ship will land in I have been. My focus is business and hope to help some students aspire in the field. Thanks for the information. Your vlog is pragmatic and informative. Glad to know you had a wonderful experience, especially at the time of this pandemic. If anything else about the world you understand, this pandemic is eye opening especially for us older folks. Stay well and again thanks.

[@charl0ttetan]

can we use blue tac?

[@jessshorst]

no :(( they have in their packing rules that you aren't allowed to "affix anything" to your cabin walls, regardless of how you do it... but they don't explain why!

[@charl0ttetan]

@@jessshorst :(

[@amethyst819]

what age do think is the best to go?

[@jessshorst]

i would say 19-22 is the best, and that the majority of people are 21! while you can definitely go if you’re outside of that age range (18 or 23) you might feel like you fit in with the average age of the ship better if you go when you’re a sophomore/junior in college 👍🏻

[@simplyboppingK]

I'm sorry but you can't have leftovers? bs. I get it but what if you can't afford a bunch of snacks all the time?

[@jessshorst]

i know :// it’s really too bad! i found myself eating more at meals bc i didn’t want to be hungry in between, which was weird

[@simplyboppingK]

@@jessshorst Are there still people that risk getting caught? Or are there people constantly monitoring that? I'll never go on SAS but just genuinely curious.

[@savannahbuckhalter4037]

can you have a vape?

[@jessshorst]

this policy isn’t super clear... they definitely don’t want dab pens, like that’ll be confiscated and you’ll have consequences or be sent home, but i’m not sure about juuls... in the semester at sea handbook it says “Smoking (including the use of vapor, or e-cigarettes) is prohibited on the vessel except on the designated smoking area on the open section of deck seven”... which makes it sound like you can have vapes as long as you use them in only specific areas.

[@jessshorst]

like if it is taken, it’ll be returned at the end of the voyage, but you could get in trouble for using it in other places on the ship!