Life is what you make it...Athens, Greece Past Review
By Charleen W (PSYCHOLOGY., Wellesley College) for
CYA (College Year in Athens) - Semester/Academic Year Program
Yes. Great opportunity to learn more about the world and your place in it.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 0-2 weeks |
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 |
Well versed in their area of study. Should keep in mind the students that don't have a strong background in their field. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
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| * Food: |
they provided vegetarian options. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
The field trips were one of the best parts of the program. It was amazing to get to see all the different parts of greece. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Athens is so much more temperate compared to America. Violent crime is really not a big issue. |
| 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) |
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| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | i spent maybe 20 euros on groceries whenever I went. I made dinner a lot though and a lot of my dinners were just pasta and cereal. So it really depends on how much you plan on cooking or eating out. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Make sure you convert how much money you have in your account to euros so that you don't accidentally think you have more money than you actually have. That was a problem many of us had. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | n/a |
| Language acquisition improvement? |
Professor and in everyday interactions. Most people spoke English. |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
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* Who did you live with?
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* Who did you take classes with?
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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | This program is sooo much fun!! But it's honestly what you make of it. It takes a lot of motivation to stay caught up and engaged in your studies while also exploring Greece, the rest of Europe, and more. Not all the professors are understanding when it comes to your personal travel plans. The program tries to provide opportunities to mingle and be social but forming relationships is largely up to the students.This program is good for a person who is open to meeting new people and new experiences. In my experience, it's the people who make your memories. Traveling is a lot more fun when there's someone there to share the moment with you. So make new friends!! Make new memories. |
