My Grand Tour: 73 Gyros, 4 Suitcases, and 1 Filled Passport Past Review
By A student (Art History, Criticism and Conservation., Wellesley College) - abroad from 01/22/2012 to 05/18/2012 with
CYA (College Year in Athens) - Semester/Academic Year Program
It was completely worthwhile. I learned how to be more independent and I loved living in Athens. I met some interesting new people and I adored having a very different experience from Wellesley, where most of my education occurred outside the classroom.
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. |
not very academically rigorous in comparison to wellesley, although i did have to do some research in 2 of my classes towards the end |
* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
they were very organized, but often treated us like children. i appreciated the many resources, but i wish they would have given us a bit more leeway |
* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
loved the location and the apartment set-up. |
* Food: |
pretty good, healthy greek food. was nice of them to provide a vegetarian option daily. wish there was a bit more variation. |
* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
i felt like we were in the heart of the city, but because we were entirely an american program, we didn't get to interact much with the locals. however, the volunteering i did was helpful for meeting greek people. |
* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
pretty well, though it would have been useful for the program to have a nurse or someone who was there most of the time, just because we would have to navigate greek pharmacies when we were sick, which was not always easy. |
* Safety: |
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If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
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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) |
depended on the week, but usually i could get by with $100 a week, if i didn't travel or go shopping or anything. however, the travel made the weekly expenses increase on average. however, that was my own choice |
* Was housing included in your program cost? | No |
* Was food included in your program cost? | Yes |
Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $75 |
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | when you travel, try to stock up on snacks before you leave so you don't spend all your money at tourist traps. like, eat one big meal a day, and then try to eat less expensively if you can for the others...it got expensive paying for meals when traveling because you didn't really know the area |
Language
* Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
How much did the program encourage you to use the language?
0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language |
i loved the immersion, but also how the classes were taught in english. still, i had to take a greek language class and i'm glad i did. |
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? | nothing in greek--hindi 200 |
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? | get lost and try to find your way back home :) though that will probably happen anyway...or order food in the local language |
Other Program Information
* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you take classes with?
Select all that apply |
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About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? | 0 |
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? | that the program was mainly for serious archeology students. it wouldn't have changed my decision to attend, but i would have known more before going. it was great to be pushed in that realm, but sometimes it was a bit much, especially on the archeology-focused weeklong field trips. |