A Wellesley Odyssey Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

I come from an extremely academically rigorous college so CYA was a breeze compared to Wellesley. I did not feel challenged in class but I found this okay because I was able to really enjoy my time in Greece and not worry about having to spend all my time studying and writing papers. The art history courses I took were all on-site, which also made up for it mostly being classes of memorization. I was more excited about being on the Acropolis or the Agora or the studio of a jewelry maker. CYA has its own library and while not a very large library when compared to the multiple libraries at Wellesley, they do have access to other institutions libraries that are much more impressive.

On-site administration of your program

While I did not have any issues with the administration because I never found myself in trouble or in need of talking with them, I know that many in the program had issues with the administration. I thought that they could do a better job of keeping students informed of what was going on within the institution and within our neighborhood. One of the apartments was broken into and while all of CYA knew because the students talked to each other, the administration never sent out an email to let us know what had happened and to just remind us to be smart and safe.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

The location of the apartments was great; I was a 15 min walk away from the Acropolis and had a view of the Acropolis up on the rooftop. They were furnished, albeit minimally, but it was enough for what we needed within our apartment. I liked that we lived in actual apartments in which all of our neighbors were Greeks because I felt more immersed, especially since the program itself is already only all American students.

They served us lunch Monday-Friday and the food was rather good. I did get annoyed though that every Monday was always some sort of pasta day. They were good about dietary restrictions, I am a vegetarian and they always had a vegetarian option and the regular option. However, I am used to having multiple options for food at my institution and at CYA is was only one dish served so you had to eat that or get your own food. There was fresh bread everyday that was brought in from a local bakery and that was delicious.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

It's up to you to make the effort to become integrated. The housing situation helps a bit with this but because CYA is only for American students, you will not find the integration within the institution. Many of the stores and bakeries/restaurants within Athens had people who spoke English so it was also easy to not try to use their language. I took a marble carving art class that helped a bit to become more integrated and to meet local Greeks.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I personally always felt safe. The neighborhood that CYA rents apartments in is a relatively safe, family neighborhood. To get into my apartment building, the main door requires you open it with a key and the apartment doors themselves have bolted doors. It's up to you to make sure you bolt your apartment and lock your balcony doors. Pickpocketing is always an issue regardless of where you are. This is a concern on the metros and in certain neighborhoods within Athens but so long as you're smart about it and not taking your phone our and flashing it about, you should be fine.

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

CYA gives you a student card as well as the ISIC card and between the two, I usually got into most cultural institutions for free. Fresh fruits and vegetables were super cheap at the farmer's markets and produce stores so you can live on a low budget by cooking for yourself. Coffee and pastries did not cost that much and most restaurants are well-priced. Gyros are really cheap so you could also live cheaply on a gyro diet. I would spend the most money on souvenirs and food/drinks.

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

Since I was taking a Modern Greek Accelerated course, my professor encouraged us and gave us projects that made us use our Greek. However, if you are not taking a language course, then there is really no encouragement to use the language and it is up to you.

Select all that apply

• Apartment

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• Americans

Select all that apply

• Americans

• On-site classes
• 3-day weekends
• Location of the institution

• Administration
• More opportunities to meet local Greeks our age at actual Greek universities

The Avid Adventurer