Study Abroad in Athens - so glad I went! Past Review

By (Fashion Merchandising, Marist College) for

Webster University: Athens - Odyssey in Athens

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
I do value my experience very much it was completely different from what I expected but I am so glad I went nonetheless I gained a great deal of knowledge about living among people from different places in the world and how growing up in another country completely changes your outlook on life. I realized that as much as I love traveling I could never live permanently outside of America

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.

Some classes the workload was very light whereas others required much more attention and effort. It really varied with the class as well as the professor. Some professors were excellent teachers while others were very hard to understand and made the class very difficult to succeed in.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

The program was very small I would say.

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

Proximity was very close to school and many historical sites however at the time of rioting we were located very close to all the violence. The cooking utensils were very minimal at first but then upon request we were provided with more appliances

* Food:

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

* Safety:

The only time I felt unsafe was during the riots however if you avoided them and stayed indoors there was no issue. I did not experience any health problems so I am unsure of how easily accessible medical attention would have been. However pharmacies sold many basic prescription medicines without the need of a doctors prescription so I assume getting medicine would be fairly simple.

If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? No

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)

Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? Food was mostly pretty expensive I probably spent $200 a week because I mostly ate out and did not cook in the apartment
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? I spent ALOT of money on food.

Language

How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? None
If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition?

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

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  • Apartment
* Who did you live with?

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  • Americans
* Who did you take classes with?

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