Just sit right back and you’ll hear a tale, a tale of a fateful trip that started from this… Just sit right back and you’ll hear a tale, a tale of a fateful trip that started from this tropic port, aboard this tiny ship …

Don’t worry, Pitt’s Semester at Sea and study abroad programs are significantly more reliable than Gilligan and the Skipper too, and you’re not likely to find many radios made of coconuts on your travels.

“You can go to any country in the world, to study any major,” Carol Larson, the assistant director and outreach coordinator of the Study Abroad Office, said last year. “And you do not need to be fluent in the language. You are only limited by your curiosity.”

This summer, students will board the M/V Explorer and sail around the world, with stops from South Africa to Japan. The ship is also equipped with a swimming pool, computer lab and theater, should you tire of seeing the world. While at sea, participants can choose their courses from a selection that spans topics from Buddhism to biology.

But boating isn’t for everyone. If you prefer to keep your feet firmly planted on land, Pitt offers a plethora of study abroad options.

Pitt sent approximately 1,100 students abroad during the 2004 academic year.

And at Pitt, your options span the globe. You can study French in Quebec or politics in Ghana. There are exchange programs with Mexico and Peru.

Ever dreamed of traveling to Europe? Pitt offers the possibility of studying in France, Germany, the United Kingdom or Denmark.

You could explore the Orient with Pitt’s programs in China, India and Japan, or head farther south and study engineering in Australia.

If Pitt doesn’t have a package for you, the study abroad office can connect you with an affiliate program to get you closer to anywhere you want to go. But you have to put in your fair share of effort if you expect results.

“The secret to studying abroad is to begin planning during your freshman year,” Larson said. “By researching the many offerings early, students can select which classes they will take abroad and which they will take at Pitt.”

The Study Abroad Office is located in room 802 William Pitt Union. Larson encouraged students interested in studying abroad to stop by as soon as possible, saying that planning for a program abroad usually takes at least six months.

“It gives you an opportunity to look at the thousands of programs,” Larson said. “It’s never too early to explore the options you have.”

Whatever option you choose in terms of location, you have one other selection to consider. Programs are split into three types: Pitt-developed programs, taught in English by Pitt faculty; exchange programs, taught at a foreign university; and fully assembled programs, in which the entire package (housing, food, travel, etc.) is put together for the student.

Studying abroad can be a wonderful, enlightening experience. But it is not something that can be done on a whim.

There are costs to be considered, and while university scholarships are transferable to both SAS and study abroad and there are a number of additional scholarships designed for students studying abroad, interested students shouldn’t hesitate to gather all of the necessary information.