Abroad101: Study Abroad Reviews

I cannot wait to go back to Greece; I miss it already! July 09, 2021

By (Grinnell College) - abroad from 06/01/2021 to 06/29/2021 with

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

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
My experience with CYA was one of the coolest things I have ever done, and I would absolutely do it again, without question. In some sense, it’s hard to fully assess the benefits of studying abroad so close to my time abroad, but it is clear that the benefits of doing so are numerous. As it relates to Greece specifically, I feel deeply grateful to have been able to visit places I have read about in my Classics courses for years, to see artifacts outside books, to get a whiff of the past while we walked along ancient roads, and to see the remnants of lives lived many years ago, which were not so unlike our own. The challenge the course posed to the dominance of Athenocentricity in Classics will be valuable as I move forward in my studies, but, perhaps the most meaningful part of the study abroad experience was just having the opportunity to leave my bubble and venture somewhere entirely new, which I felt even more deeply following the COVID-19 lockdowns. This is especially true as we see nationalism rising in waves across the world. Experiences like the one provided by CYA can help to counter ideologies that ask us to hate those that live beyond our borders. Participating in a program like CYA gives us space to stop and reflect on our place in this big, beautiful word of ours, and it nudges us to remember that there are people not unlike ourselves all over the world, and the awareness this brings is invaluable.

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

* Food:

The food was absolutely wonderful! The class I took involved traveling around a large part of Greece for a few weeks, which gave us the opportunity to try food from all over the place. The accessibility of delicious food and coffee everywhere we went was certainly a highlight of my time in Greece, but I also appreciated dining culture and the relationship to food I saw during my time in Greece. It wasn't just about eating as quickly as possible in order to move on to the next thing, which was a nice change of pace.

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

CYA houses their students in the middle of the Pangrati neighborhood, and so, at least in terms of location, you feel integrated with the local culture. Pangrati is a great neighborhood, with lots of great restaurants, and it is right next to the Panathenaic Stadium; it's walking-distance from many of the important sites in Athens, but it isn't inundated with tourist-y things. The one area I wish CYA would've provided more guidance with was the language. Language is an important part of getting to know people, and knowing some modern Greek would have been very helpful. It certainly isn't necessary to know Greek in order to get by, but it would have been a nice addition to our cultural engagement.

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I was in Greece during the COVID-19 pandemic, so my experience with this will be different from somebody who travels to Greece post-pandemic. The only experience I had with healthcare in Greece was getting a COVID-19 test in order to fly home. CYA provided us with some places where we could get a test, and dealing with the hospital was rather easy--a much easier process than healthcare is back home in the States. In terms of vaccines, Greece required us to have the COVID-19 vaccine prior to entering the country.

* Safety:

I never felt unsafe during my time in Greece. CYA notes that there isn't really major crime in Athens--or Greece in general--and that the primary issue you may have is petty crime (read: pickpockets). I never had any issues with this, but several of my classmates did. There isn't really any advice I can offer that you haven't heard before--keeping a close watch on your belongings, being aware of your surroundings, etc--and CYA is very helpful in navigating life in Greece.

If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? Yes

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)

While it was easy to find inexpensive (and delicious) food to eat in Greece, it was more expensive than I anticipated simply because I forgot that the USD is worth less than the Euro. That said, living on a limited student budget was absolutely doable. There are countless restaurants, and many of them are quite affordable. I would recommend figuring out your budget prior to arriving, and then making a list of some of the places you'd like to try. Fortunately, CYA provides all their students with ICOMOS cards, which gets you into the sites and museums for free, so that is a big expense that you don't have to account for.

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? No
How much did the program encourage you to use the language?

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

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Apartment
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans

A Look Back

* What did you like most about the program?
  • The people in Greece
  • The food
  • The sites
* What could be improved?
  • Language training
  • Guidance about living day-to-day in Greece
  • More accessibility on the weekends
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? I'm not entirely sure, to be honest. I think what I wish I would have done prior to the trip was make a better plan of the things I wanted to see in Athens. There is a tremendous amount of things to do and see in Athens, and trying to plan things after you arrive can be a little bit overwhelming.

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 Academic or Linguist
You went abroad with specific academic goals in mind; the program credentials and rigor of your coursework abroad were very important to you. You had a great time abroad, but never lost sight of your studies and (if applicable) were diligent with your foreign language study. Good for you!