An Excellent Experience in a Chaotic Time May 07, 2021
By Katharine Bowman (Wellesley College) - abroad from 08/30/2022 to 12/18/2020 with
CYA (College Year in Athens) - Semester/Academic Year Program
What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
I gained experience interacting/existing in an unfamiliar environment and also got to visit in person things/places that classes back home would only talk about theoretically.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 2 weeks - 1 month |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
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| * Food: |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
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| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
CYA did an excellent job of providing good classes and opportunities to travel around Greece while ensuring that the students were safe. |
Finances
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* 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) |
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| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | Very irregular (based on whether we were traveling), average of 30-40 euros |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Set a budget for each week based on what you expect to do during it |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
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How much did the program encourage you to use the language?
0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language |
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| 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? | None |
| 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? | Go and use what you have learned with locals (ie. shopping, ordering food) |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you take classes with?
Select all that apply |
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| 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? |
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| * What could be improved? |
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| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | It is a less stressful experience than I expected, and the staff are very friendly and there to help. |
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