Abroad101: Study Abroad Reviews

Best experience of my life! Past Review

By (Business Management, University of Northern Iowa) - abroad from 02/10/2014 to 06/06/2014 with

American College of Thessaloniki (ACT): Thessaloniki - Direct Enrollment & Exchange

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
I learned so much about myself throughout this whole experience. Who I am now, and where I want to be in the future. It was definitely worthwhile.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 1 month - 6 months

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

* 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:

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)

Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? I traveled a lot, and did a lot of shopping so I spent probably $250 to $300 a week on average. When traveling it was probably more than that.
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? Start saving in advance if you plan on doing a lot of traveling.

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? Exchange

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Dorm
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Local Students
  • Americans
  • International Students
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?
  • Meeting new people, and learning more about their backgrounds.
  • I loved the location of Thessaloniki, and the culture in the city.
  • I loved that our program had small trips planned throughout the semester that we could participate in if we wished.
* What could be improved?
  • Transportation to and from the school.
  • The residence permit process. Very time consuming.
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? I felt I was very well prepared for this program. I personally should have taken more time to learn more about the language. I knew it would be difficult, but Greek is completely different from anything I know, so it made it hard to communicate.

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 Outright Urbanite
A social butterfly, you're happiest in bustling cities with hip people, and took advantage of all it had to offer. You enjoyed the nightlife, and had fun going out dancing, and socializing with friends. Fun-loving and dressed to the nines, you enjoyed discovering new restaurants, shops, cafes, and bars in your host country.