Enriching cultural experience January 17, 2022
By A student (Wellesley College) - abroad from 08/30/2021 to 12/17/2021 with
CYA (College Year in Athens) - Semester/Academic Year Program
Learned how to be independent and adapt to a changing environment. Studying abroad is a way to explore who you are and test and improve your capabilities to be flexible in an environment different from the one you are used to.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | None |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
CYA did have an issue with invoking the proper punishments for people who went against the rules. Other than that, the staff were very dedicated and were willing to help. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Only issue was the neighbors, also part of CYA, who were excessively loud. CYA administration did not invoke the necessary punishments and were too light. |
| * Food: |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
Accessing insurance for a medical emergency was not easy and took many hours for the insurance to be sent to the hospital. |
| * 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
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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) |
Difficult to maintain a budget, however, that was more of a personal issue especially on expenses for souvenirs. Yet, the money was almost adequate to pay for food and other necessities. |
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 |
| 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? | Practice basic phrases in your spare time and use them with the locals |
Other Program Information
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* 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? |
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? | Learn how to budget my financial expenses and ask for help when I need it. |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
Service Learning Approach |
| Course Department: | Anthropology |
| Instructor: | Aimee Placas |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | Being dedicated to the Wellesley College freshman in CYA, the course served as a good resource to educate us on life in Greece and learn college skills with hands-on activities. One thing I would add is more hands-on opportunities, guest lectures, and more learning of college skills. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: |
