The best month of my life! Past Review

By Bridget S (Siena College) - abroad from 05/29/2017 to 06/23/2017 with

CYA (College Year in Athens) - Semester/Academic Year Program

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?

I learned how easy it can be to make friends when you have an open mind. The first few days I had to come out of my shell and put myself out there and it was the best thing I did.

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.	The class was challenging, but fair. The professor gave enough work to keep us engaged and busy, but we had plenty of time to explore, and experience the various locations we were in.
* Host Country Program Administration On-site administration of your program	The administration was beyond helpful. They helped with anything and everything. Recommended a ballet for us to go to one evening and made sure everything went smoothly and we were safe.
* Housing: How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?	The apartments gave you the chance to be independent. Walking around the city and walking to class everyday gave us a chance to really feel like a local and dive right into the culture. The hotels were extremely nice and clean.
* Food:	The food took some getting use to but was delicious. Lunch at CYA was always Greek food, giving us more opportunities to try different things, and the portions were enough to fill you up! There were always options to have 'American' food at restaurants, but the local fish was always a tastier option.
* Social & Cultural Integration: How integrated did you feel with the local culture?	We were able to dive right into the local culture. The people were extremely friendly and wanted to talk to us and ask us questions. It was very inviting and welcoming. Eating and sharing meals with locals made the experience so much better!
* Health Care: How well were health issues addressed during the program?
* Safety:	I felt as safe as anyone can feel when traveling in a foreign country for the first time. There were certain areas we stayed away from for obvious reasons, but CYA made us aware of any issues and made our safety their number 1 concern.
If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program?	Yes The people were unbelievable, the course was actually fun, and the people I met have become lifelong friends.

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?	275

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	We went over new phrases every day in class upon request and then we tried to use them daily. It was difficult to not speak using English because 90% of the people we met spoke English and Greek.
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?	Do not be afraid to speak it in public, the people appreciate it when you try to communicate using their native language. A language course wold be helpful, but by no means is it necessary.

Other Program Information

* Where did you live? Select all that apply	Apartment Hotel
* Who did you live with? Select all that apply	Americans
* Who did you take classes with? Select all that apply	Americans
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?	Class size Travel aspect people i met
* What could be improved?	Communication before the trip between the professor and administrators and the students
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program?	Plan to stay an extra week to explore another part of Europe because I totally wanted to but could not.

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.

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:	Becoming a Travel Writer
Course Department:
Instructor:	Romana Turina
Instruction Language:	English
Comments:	The course was challenging but fair. The work did not interfere with exploring Greece, and made me think more about what I was seeing. The journals and writing forced me to think about my surroundings and made me appreciate my trip so much more! Professor Turina was extremely prepared and knowledgeable. She helped explain a lot of culture differences and helped us assimilate to culture and way of life. I participated in class the same amount that I would at Siena, and it made me enjoy the course so much more. If you didn't participate in the discussion then the course would drag, but being engaged made it fun and extremely beneficial. The grade was based on 4 big assignments, daily journals, and class participation. It was simple and easy to know how you were doing in the course.
Credit Transfer Issues: