Caryn Klein’s desire to stray away from usual study abroad programs has led her to the Semester at Sea.

Caryn Klein is a junior management and information systems major from Rockville, Md. ALAN LIOW/Staff

Klein, who is a junior management and information systems major from Rockville, Md., decided to spend her semester abroad at sea through University of Virginia’s Semester at Sea program. From Jan. 19 to May 2, Klein will be traveling on the “MV Explorer,” a modern cruise ship that circumnavigates the globe while also providing its college-student passengers with a form of international study that focuses on surveying the world’s peoples and cultures.

Founded in 1963, this classroom voyage hosts more than 700 students from more than 15 countries and 60 faculty members from multiple universities around the nation.

Klein spoke with The Red & Black about her decision to go abroad at sea, her ability to grasp multiple countries’ cultures, and the benefits the program will provide her.

Q: Why did you choose to study abroad at sea rather than study abroad in one country?

A: I chose Semester at Sea because I honestly can’t make a decision to save my life, and I figured, “Why not go to 13 countries rather than just one?”  I really think that I would not have had to opportunity to visit a lot of these countries if I didn’t do Semester at Sea, and [Semester at Sea] gives me the opportunity to spend three or five days touring multiple countries and learning about the cultures.

Q: Do you think you’ll be able to fully grasp a country’s culture after only spending a few days there?

A: I definitely know that it will be hard, but one of the things Semester at Sea does for us is that everyone has to take a course called Global Studies while we’re on the ship. It brings you up to speed in the beginning. You’ll study for the first country, then the next country, and then the third. They do a good job of providing the students with a crash course of what’s happening in the culture, and also at each port, they bring on a person from the U.S. embassy to explain more about the culture. Also, in all of my classes, you have field study, so [the students] go on different trips with their classes within the country. That’s another way I will be exposed to more cultural experiences rather than just touristic spots.

Q: How will studying in multiple countries benefit you more rather than if you just focused on studying in one country?

A: I realize that the business world is global now, and so, I’m getting to see these big and up in coming countries, like India, China, and Japan. Those are huge economies that we are already seeing having these mass movements now, so this program is really exposing me to this whole world wide view and preparing me for the future.