Taking Engineering Abroad for the First Time September 24, 2026

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

A truly valuable mix of hands-on drone work and supportive learning that made the whole experience feel meaningful.

On-site administration of your program

Smooth, supportive and always ready to help with anything I needed.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

Clean, simple and comfortable housing that made everyday living easy.

Fresh, tasty and way less processed than what I was used to back home

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

Easy, smooth and genuinely welcoming with people who help you feel part of the local community right away.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

Fast, accessible and reassuring whenever I needed care

Consistently calm and comfortable with the city feeling safe to move around day or night

Hi, my name is Scott, I am from Zanesville, Ohio, in the U.S. I am currently twenty years old and in my second year at Ohio University studying Mechanical Engineering. I chose Cerca because through my university I am required to gain some international experience during my time in college, so I went online and found it, and the engineering program through Cerca seemed very appealing to me. It seemed relevant and practical to me and it just seemed—honestly—kind of scary to live somewhere new compared to where I am familiar, which was exactly why I wanted to do it. Through Cerca I was put in the Automotive Lane at the International Hellenic University here in Sindos in Thessaloniki, Greece. I’ve been mostly working with an aerial drone here; I’ve done three different projects. Firstly, we tried to make the drone fly in an exact pathway; we attached a temperature sensor to it to measure the temperatures in its path. After that we used a proximity sensor to make the drone navigate through obstacles using built-in WIFI, which we struggled with unfortunately, and we haven’t been able to complete yet. As a final project we tried measuring the sound of the drone using noise-cancelling technology to try and set up a future intern with the resources to develop some technology to make the drone quieter as it operates. Here in Thessaloniki you will never run out of things to do. I really like it because everyone is friendly here. It seems unfamiliar at first, but it won’t stay that way for long. Even the coffee shop that I got to know better—there’s something for everyone. Like I’ve said, I mean there are beaches, museums, it’s a great place to go running, there are nightclubs—anything you want is here. We even went bowling. The food is fantastic. It’s almost never super processed so it always tastes very good compared to American food in a lot of cases. Not to mention it’s really cheap. The people are great. I am getting to know even people at the university. Some of the workers in the dining hall are always very friendly. They play music and there’s always a smile on their face. Even in our department we’ve had a couple of events like a barbeque; we got together, it was a lot of fun and we got a lot closer than some groups in America do. So, it’s really friendly here. It’s a great place to be.

(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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• International Students

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• International Students

• Clear hands-on engineering projects with real sensors and problem-solving
• Friendly environment in Thessaloniki thta makes setting in easy
• Great mix of technical workand enjoyable dailylife outside the lab

• N/A

The Nearly Native or Trail Blazer