Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

The workload was definitely manageable. The grading system is more or less similar to my home college. Teaching methods were overall the same, except for my language class in modern Greek. My teacher's methods were different, such as going out onto the street in the middle of class and practicing greek with them, which i though was very beneficial. I became very comfortable speaking Greek and learned immediately what i needed to improve on.

On-site administration of your program

There were faculty and staff members from Greece, America, and different countries in Europe, who spend a lot of time in Greece and also knew how to speak greek. With that being said, they were very helpful in getting things done for students as well as prepare students for exploring Athens and other parts of Greece and Europe. The size of the program was good. I'm happy that al the students were not put into one building on a cmapus, because it enabled and forced us to more quickly integrate into the culture.

Living in an apartment with Greek families in the apartment building helped a great deal with learning and practicing Greek.

CYA only provides lunch. For Breakfast there are tons of bakeries around to buy coffee and something to eat. Do not expect a typical American breakfast. If you want one, you will have to make it yourself, which is defenitely doable. As for dinners, the gyro places are very popular. Tavernas are great to go to, but to go every night would be expensive. I would go to Alpha Beta Supermarket for weekly food shopping. I would buy fruits and vegetables from the open air market (CYA provides students with more information about that). the OK markets are the only mini-supermarkets that are open the latest.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

Our week long trip to the island of Crete was the most memorable trip organized by CYA.It was my favorite trip by the program. We visited museums and archeological sites during the morning and early afternoon. By midafternoon students were allowed to explore the different towns that we visited, which provided a great opportunity to talk to people, eat different Greek cuisine, as well as enjoy the different towns. We also went on walking tours of the different towns, and the professors would suggest different places to explore on our own, which was very helpful.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I did not get sick in Greece, but CYA said to talk to the person at the front desk for help.

How well did Middlebury College prepare and support you for your time abroad?

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

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• Apartment

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• Americans

• They make the cultural experience as important as academic work.
• You have free access to a lot of museums and archeological sites.

• I did not have this problem, but I know it was an issue for a few people. I think if a student gets sick, he/she should deteremine for hiself/herself if he/she can catch up with missed assignments and classes, instead of the program dciding that the student should drop the class.