One of the very best parts of SAS is the opportunity to live with and get to know college students. If this isn’t fun for you, don’t go. The whole experience is centered on students and education. It’s electrifying to share such a mind-opening experience with a bunch of emerging adults, to be part of their life-changing transition to world citizens.
As in any large group, there are an infinite variety of personalities. Some are gregarious and friendly; some are shy and reserved. Some are very kind, and others are rude. Some are brilliant conversationalists, well-traveled and full of stories. Others have never been far from their home town and family. All have worked hard to be part of our journey, eager to experience new things and learn about the big wide world and its people. Many have saved pizza delivery money or waitress tips for years to be able to join us.
My interactions with students are always colored by the fact that I’m their teacher, but that doesn’t hold for LLLs. I like to sit with different students at meals each day, to listen to their stories. As Global Studies Director I don’t teach “small classes” (the ones you’ll take with 30 or so students in each), and I miss that. When you take classes, you will get to know the students you sit near, or work with them on group projects.
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| On an Oceanography Field Class in Mauritius (March 2020) |
One of the best ways to get to know students is on SAS Field Programs in the countries. Some of our best interactions have been in vans or buses traversing Greece or Japan or Portugal, glamping in Wadi Rum and watching the sunrise over the desert or snorkeling on coral reefs in Mauritius.
Staculty and LLLs are invited to form “shipboard families” with a group of students for the duration of the voyage. We’ve done this on both our voyages and found it to be wonderful! We “adopted” 7 or 8 students each time. We arrange fun activities like movie night, game night, fries at the grill, or pizza by the pool. We celebrate our “kids” birthdays by purchasing an ice cream cake and singing after dinner. We’ve kept in touch over the years as they’ve graduated, married, become professionals, etc.
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| Birthday dinner for one of our "ship sons" |
A huge fraction of our students are women – about 80%. Without a doubt there’s a lot of feminine energy on the voyage! This is something of a mystery and reflects a stack of gendered filters: women outnumber men in college anyway; more women than men choose fields that encourage study abroad; more women actually sign up for these programs. There’s something about 19-year old guys that makes them want to stay close to their friends and familiar surroundings, whereas women may be more adventurous.
There’s a lot of paperwork to get into SAS. My own theory is that groups of women students apply together. They wait for the website to open and then all click “apply” together. By contrast adolescent guys are likely to miss the deadlines completely unless their Moms needle them endlessly – “Oh bummer, that was due yesterday?”
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| Our "ship family" March 2020 |
It’s critical that you don’t get into trouble with students. You may not offer them rides in a rented vehicle. You should never buy them alcohol. You must be a responsible adult, and it’s good to remember that sometimes young people can make errors of judgement in novel situations. Don’t be part of the problem.
On the other hand, you can be part of the solution. Students may ask you for help navigating difficult situations that arise. Know how to reach the ship for help. Be a good surrogate parent and help students that need you.
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| On a Field Program in India January 2023 |