Abroad101: Study Abroad Reviews

Best character building experience ever! December 31, 2024

By (Furman University) - abroad from 01/20/2024 to 05/16/2024 with

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

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
I a lot more independent, and confident than I thought.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 1 month - 6 months

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:

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

Learned that I had a food intolerance early on in the program, and CYA provided me with the needed accommodations when applicable

* Safety:

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

I really enjoyed the food, culture, nd ability to travel throughout Greece and Europe!

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)

Had to eat out a lot due to lack of cooking experience, and dietary restrictions. Luckily, 95% of the dining options are very good and cheap. Personal average meal cost was around 7.50 euros, which I spent on around 1 meal per day.

Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? around $80-100
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? A lot of restaurants are low cost.

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? No

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?
  • I got to see all of Greece
  • Excellent facility who I really enjoyed getting to know
  • I was able to easily navigate the city of Athens, Greece
* What could be improved?
  • More food options in the Dining Hal per meal time
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? Be sure to ask the program to install blackout blinds on all bedroom doors that are not completely made of wood. A majority of bedroom doors were like thin in my apartment, and it made it hard to sleep with out them as all light easily spread throughout the apartment.