Trip of a Lifetime! September 07, 2022
By A student (Anthropology & Sociology, Lafayette College) - abroad from 01/16/2022 to 05/13/2022 with
CYA (College Year in Athens) - Semester/Academic Year Program
I loved Greece, and specifically living in Pangrati. I genuinely miss the food, culture, and the people. The sense of community I had while in Greece was unlike any other and I can't wait to return. I learned how to be more independent and comfortable with myself by being abroad.
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. |
Overall, the courses were not extremely difficult. However, I had to take five courses which was different than my normal four course load. While some topics in the courses were within my major, other courses I had never studied before, so the content was completely new to me. I really enjoyed traveling around Greece to apply my knowledge and going on trips with my class around Athens. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
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| * Food: |
The food in Greece is affordable and amazing! The food from CYA was also delicious. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I think our living arrangements helped us integrate naturally into Greek culture. We were living amongst locals and built connections within our community. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * 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) |
Greece is a pretty affordable country when using USD. I typically ate out a fair amount, however shopping/groceries/etc. are pretty cheap! |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | about $100 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Plan your trips ahead of time so the prices of the tickets don't go up! |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | No |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
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* Who did you take classes with?
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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? | I wish I knew how quickly four months would fly by. I wish I had more time to do all that I wanted to do! |
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 Nearly Native or Trail BlazerCraving the most authentic experience possible, perhaps you lived with a host family or really got in good with the locals. You may have felt confined by your program requirements and group excursions. Instead, you'd have preferred to plan your own trips, even skipping class to conduct your own 'field work.' |
