Traveling the world used to be lonely, soul-searching business for college students and recent grads. Not so anymore, thanks to cell phones, satellite, GPS and the Internet.
Nowhere is that more apparent than at Semester at Sea, a "floating campus" that's been showing undergraduates the world for the last 45 years via cruise ship. In recent years, the ship and study-abroad program from the University of Virginia have been modernized to fit the demands of a typical digital campus, even though it's usually miles from shore.
This fall, 670 students on the semester-long program will be able to call home from their cell phones throughout the 590-foot passenger ship, thanks to new satellite connections that are being installed this summer. (Previously, students could only receive calls from a phone in their cabin.) Students will also be able to access the Internet from anywhere on the ship because of newly installed wireless coverage, according to Chief Operating Officer Salvatore Moschella.
The ship docked in San Francisco over the weekend to host recruiting seminars and a reunion for Bay Area locals. Next week, it will take off for its summer program around Latin America.
Photo by Stefanie Olsen/CNET News.com
