Thessaloniki: I have no idea what the weekends are like there; I was too busy in other countries Past Review
By Jesse G (Communications, Goucher College) for
American College of Thessaloniki (ACT): Thessaloniki - Direct Enrollment & Exchange
Traveling Europe was amazing. Greece was pretty great. But the program was an absolute waste of my time and money
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. |
The workload was minimal (which was a nice change) and it was the easiest academic semester I've had since middle school. It's understandable, as most of the students are not native English speakers, but that's something the school should advertise. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
They were knowledgeable about Greece and about the school itself, but when it came to anything else, they were hopeless and very difficult to get in contact with. It was difficult to get anything done with them. And don't bother asking questions about traveling to and from other countries (in or out of the European Union) and how that whole process works; they don't know and they may tell you the wrong information |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
The room was extremely small, but the location was right smack in the middle of the city which was great. It wasn't exactly easy to get to and from the school if you couldn't make the bus they provided, but it wasn't terrible. |
| * Food: |
Greek food is incredible. But the food provided at the school is awful. Eating anywhere outside of the school is worthwhile |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Great field trips but the clubs and the other events held by the school were sad attempts. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
The city was safe, the school was safe. The school did not have doctor; they had a nurse. And the nurse did not have a office. I had to have my stomach checked out in a conference room, and she had me lie down on a row of chairs. This is not acceptable. Then she prescribed me a medication that made me feel worse than I've ever felt in my life. A real college needs a real doctor, which some sort of an office/privacy. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
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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? | Minus the traveling, roughly $100 on food and drink (including alcohol). |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Traveling costs a lot of money, especially from Greece; you spend more money than you'd ever think traveling. |
Language
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
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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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | The travels make it all worthwhile, no matter how shitty your program it is |
