Abroad101: Study Abroad Reviews

My Grand Tour: 73 Gyros, 4 Suitcases, and 1 Filled Passport Past Review

By (Art History, Criticism and Conservation., Wellesley College) - abroad from 01/22/2012 to 05/18/2012 with

CYA (College Year in Athens) - Semester/Academic Year Program

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
It was completely worthwhile. I learned how to be more independent and I loved living in Athens. I met some interesting new people and I adored having a very different experience from Wellesley, where most of my education occurred outside the classroom.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 2 weeks - 1 month

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

not very academically rigorous in comparison to wellesley, although i did have to do some research in 2 of my classes towards the end

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

they were very organized, but often treated us like children. i appreciated the many resources, but i wish they would have given us a bit more leeway

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

loved the location and the apartment set-up.

* Food:

pretty good, healthy greek food. was nice of them to provide a vegetarian option daily. wish there was a bit more variation.

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

i felt like we were in the heart of the city, but because we were entirely an american program, we didn't get to interact much with the locals. however, the volunteering i did was helpful for meeting greek people.

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

pretty well, though it would have been useful for the program to have a nurse or someone who was there most of the time, just because we would have to navigate greek pharmacies when we were sick, which was not always easy.

* Safety:

If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? Yes

Finances

* Money: How easily were you able to live on a student's budget?

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

depended on the week, but usually i could get by with $100 a week, if i didn't travel or go shopping or anything. however, the travel made the weekly expenses increase on average. however, that was my own choice

* Was housing included in your program cost? No
* Was food included in your program cost? Yes
Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? $75
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? when you travel, try to stock up on snacks before you leave so you don't spend all your money at tourist traps. like, eat one big meal a day, and then try to eat less expensively if you can for the others...it got expensive paying for meals when traveling because you didn't really know the area

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? Yes
How much did the program encourage you to use the language?

0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language

i loved the immersion, but also how the classes were taught in english. still, i had to take a greek language class and i'm glad i did.

How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? None
How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? Beginner
What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? nothing in greek--hindi 200
How many hours per day did you use the language?
Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? get lost and try to find your way back home :) though that will probably happen anyway...or order food in the local language

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Apartment
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans
About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? 0

A Look Back

* What did you like most about the program?
  • the way i loved and breathed in the center of Athens
  • the many opportunities i took to travel, while also just appreciating Athenian life
  • how my classes took place throughout the city and i got to learn about modern Greek culture, as well as appreciate the ancient history
* What could be improved?
  • the administrative skills of the program--they often rubbed college students the wrong way with their harsh rules
  • such limited interaction with local students...i wish we could have had classes offered at the university
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? that the program was mainly for serious archeology students. it wouldn't have changed my decision to attend, but i would have known more before going. it was great to be pushed in that realm, but sometimes it was a bit much, especially on the archeology-focused weeklong field trips.