A great place to eat, experience night life, relax, and learn to love coffee. Past Review
By A student (University of Hartford) - abroad from 01/06/2018 to 06/09/2018 with
American College of Thessaloniki (ACT): Gap Year Program
I learned how people in the EU and more specifically people in Greece who celebrate the same culture that my family does (Greek American) live. Seeing it first hand has amazed me and allowed me to think more freely. Being at this age, it's better to live in Europe because it is more free for the younger people who live there and allowed me the space to think and learn about myself that the US does not. Being politically correct is almost not necessary and it taught me better ways to think and live because people limit their thoughts too often. I got to spend time with family as well and see some amazing things left here by a culture that's thousands of years old. Definitely worth the time spent to study here because of the experience.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 1 month - 6 months |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Intensity was stressed because of OU course grading. Fact of the matter is many professors teach well but OU grading does not exactly push students to learn the material fully. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The administration was very personable and pleasant to work with. The international program office was a safe and happy place to go as well as the admissions office. Very good at keeping students updated with University run events. Bad at stating reasons for certain matters. Case in point: the necessity of acquiring a residency permit when the consulates have been called and the government makes no explicit motion to say students are required to have this card. The schooo, for students who did not acquire the permit still encouraged it or signing a liability statement stating that they are not at fault for fines without one. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Had higher expectations, had a single. The room was small and I was not allowed to remove unwanted furniture. |
| * Food: |
The food in Greece was great. Not necessarily always the best quality, however. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I feel like I experienced it exactly as a Greek would, because I spent time with my family there and learned more about my heritage. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I did need to be tested including blood work but the visa requirements were very unclear stating, "a doctor's note which proves no communicable diseases" and is otherwise very vague. On Campus aid was professional. |
| * Safety: |
Avoid the sketchy areas near or on a Greek University's property. Police are not allowed on campus which means private security, and this means there can be potentially dangerous individuals (drug dealers) here. Other than that, it seemed to me a perfectly safe place and I felt threatened very little by pickpocketing and otherwise. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
The school seems too small to me so this is more of a maybe. I wish I did more so I would come back but do it over the same way is unlikely. |
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? | ~150-175 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Cook instead of going out to dinner during week days. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | No |
Direct Enrollment/Exchange
| * Did you study abroad through an exchange program or did you directly enroll in the foreign university? | Direct Enrollment |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
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* Who did you live with?
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* Who did you take classes with?
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| About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? |
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? | How large the campus and student body size was. |
Reasons For Studying Abroad
| To help future students find programs attended by like-minded individuals, please choose the profile that most closely represents you. |
The Academic or LinguistYou went abroad with specific academic goals in mind; the program credentials and rigor of your coursework abroad were very important to you. You had a great time abroad, but never lost sight of your studies and (if applicable) were diligent with your foreign language study. Good for you! |
