Loved it, glad I did it! July 07, 2025
By Margaret P (Computer Science, Brandeis University) - abroad from 01/07/2025 to 06/18/2025 with
American College of Thessaloniki (ACT): Thessaloniki - Direct Enrollment & Exchange
I gained too much to possibly put into words, but very worthwhile
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 6 months+ |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
I learned a lot and had access to office hours and countless resources through the Bissell Library at ACT. The rigor was perfect, not overwhelming but I still felt growth and improvement. |
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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? |
The arrangements themselves were very nice, I had an apartment with a kitchen, my own bathroom, and in unit laundry. My only complaint would be miscommunication about breaks that led me to be very stressed about where to store my items and where I would be staying for 10 days in the middle of the program. It all worked out though, and I was a special case since I was only one of 5 students staying for an extra quarter. |
| * Food: |
We were responsible for our own meals, there was no formal meal plan. However, there was a decent on campus cafeteria and again I had a full kitchen at my disposal. Groceries in Thessaloniki are very cheap compared to Boston, for reference. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I had ample opportunities to interact with locals, and I took intro to Greek which helped a lot. However, if you're looking for complete cultural immersion this is not the program for that. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
this is mandatory for me to fill out but i did not need healthcare during my time abroad, though my peers seemed to have good experiences |
| * Safety: |
I felt very safe walking around most parts of the city by myself at all hours of the day/ night. People are very polite and I noticed that if I was walking alone at night men would cross the street to avoid appearing threatening, which I appreciated. Try to avoid taking the bus after midnight, Ubers and taxis rarely go above $7 and it feels much safer, though I never personally saw incidents on buses. The metro closes at 12am most of the time, but at 2am on weekends and still felt very safe. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
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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) |
A week of groceries ranged between $40 and $70, depending on if I needed to buy oil or laundry detergent. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | I spent around $1000-$2000 a month, but most of that was on travel expenses such as flights and airbnbs |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | I saved up $6k for the trip, I mostly made it work with some additional help from my family but I would say if you're planning on traveling a lot that's not enough. |
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? | Greeks are very friendly and open to helping you practice, but they all know English very well in Thessaloniki, so going to a less popular island or a small town will give you more incentive to practice. |
Direct Enrollment/Exchange
| * Did you study abroad through an exchange program or did you directly enroll in the foreign university? | Exchange |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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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? | I wish I knew how much less scary it ended up being |
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 UrbaniteA 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. |
