The Sun Never Sets on the Acropolis Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

The rigor is not very high, the resources are fantastic, teachers are wonderful, and they allow you to see so many places in Greece! For Classics majors, especially, this allows you to really have a better understanding of the sites you've studied.

On-site administration of your program

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

Authentic Greek cuisine every day for lunch!

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

While it's true you live in an apartment with other Greeks, I hardly ever saw them. It's easy to get caught up with meeting the students who are in CYA and not get out to meet Greeks. You would have to frequent a specific place or join some kind of club to get to know Greeks (other than your teachers, of course). This is not so easy when you're doing schoolwork, forging connections with your classmates, and traveling on the weekends. That being said, my modern Greek teacher told us a lot about Greece so you do get to know the country better.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

While traveling in central Greece I cut my hand and needed a few stitches. It's a good tip to know that public hospitals in Greece are free. They gave me stitches about 20 minutes after I walked through the door, I asked about insurance, and they didn't require it. The following week I went to a private hospital in Athens to get the bandage changed (though it was hardly necessary) and I was in and out for it very quickly there, too! Lastly, I visited a hospital in Crete the next weekend to have the bandages removed and though it was a little confusing, it all got sorted out and was no big deal. The administration at CYA told me where to go and what to do so I felt confident. The public hospitals might have been more haphazard than hospitals at home, but the one in Athens was just like any hospital I visited in the U.S. No vaccines needed and no prevalent health issues in Greece.

I always felt safe, but I always made sure to stay away from the dangerous areas, of which there are a few at night (like any city). CYA informs you of these areas and there's no reason to visit them at night anyway.

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

Living costs are not very expensive in Athens.

0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language

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• Apartment

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• Americans

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• Americans

• The trips throughout Greece
• The people (friends and professors)
• Being surrounded by the ancient history of Athens

• Laundry should cost less with CYA
• Some parts of orientation could have been a little shorter

The Academic or Linguist