A+ World Academy - Review #8

At A+ World Academy students are put together in a tight knit community while sailing the world. Our campus is the ship itself and students have to live, work and study together in this small environment. This allows for the most incredible relationships to be formed and fosters a sense of closeness and community. It also allows for students to travel the world together and gain a hands on experience for culture and history.

The best thing that happened to me was probably getting the opportunity to meet so many likeminded people in one year. I made friends that I know I will have for the rest of my life and for that, I am eternally grateful. The year at A+ has changed me so much as a person but also has taught me so much about others as well. It allowed for me so much insight into the world around us and really gave me a different perspective of what life was like away from the traditional world.I'm currently on a gap year now and am deferred from Northeastern. But the year at A+ taught me that the world is so huge and there is so much more of it to explore.

My advice for others would be to not be afraid to reach out to people and have real conversations with people. It would change you and your perspective of others so much.

I liked that I was away from the outside world and living in our own community bubble for periods at a time. Away from the internet and really being able to speak to people and have these conversations with people not hindered by restraints of modern technology.

Enjoy your time on board because it really will fly by so much quicker than you'd expect it to.

My favorite part regarding academics on board were the small class sizes. My AP Calc class had only 6 students and we were situated in a small "classroom" that allowed for the teacher to give us individual help. In addition, due to the nature of our school, it was extremely easy to ask peers for help as well.One problem that I was faced with was the lack of diversity regarding the class choices. Though all major subjects were covered, some of the more niche classes obviously wasn't offered.

Athletics on board the ship is extremely up to the individual student. Workouts are available almost daily (if weather permits) on the deck that is mainly centered around cardio based aerobics. And sailing also makes up a huge part of our time on board. Students are required to keep watch for 4 hours a day (2 of which are during the night time). And all students have the option of matriculating to matros lærling (sailing certification).But due to the nature of living on board a ship, there aren't interscholastic sports or a lot of facilities for athletics.

Not applicable. There was not a huge visual arts/music/theatre program available. Clubs could probably have been formed if there was the interest for it.

Extra-curricular activities were organized by students for the students. For example, during my year on board, we had the baking club, holiday club and student council etc. If there is interest for a particular club, students can have the option of forming it and running meetings.Volunteer opportunities are often incorporated into the school's field studies program. It occurs when we are ashore. For example, during out time in Praia, Cape Verde we had the lovely opportunity to visit a local school and interact with the students and also got the opportunity to paint murals with the locals.

Student "dorms" would be what we called the banjer. It is essentially where students eat, sleep and have their classes. Most students sleep in hammocks (there are a couple of bunks available as well) that are packed away during the day.I loved the fact that we were in such a close environment but it can be of an issue for some students who are not used to living together with lots of people.

There are three meals a day provided and always offer a balanced selection of foods. The chef and chief steward do an excellent job of making sure there are always new things to try and good food. There is also a snack break at 3 o'clock each day and students are welcome to keep their personal snacks in designated lockers.We also have a family dinner every Sunday where all the crew/teachers and students enjoy a meal together.

You're surrounded by the big blue ocean most of the time at sea and the ports that we go to during the school year are always amazing. And at sea, we get to see tons of new and exciting marine life (dolphins, whales, etc.!).

Social life is what you make of it. It's an extremely close knit community so the friends that you have, you know you will have for life. And I found that everyone formed a bond so quickly that all of us got along most of the time with no issues. I loved being able to form friendships with people I might not traditionally get to know in a regular school.