I wouldn't change anything for the world Past Review

By A student (Iowa State University) - abroad from 01/23/2019 to 04/19/2019 with

Perrotis College: Thessaloniki - Direct Enrollment & Exchange

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?

I gained a love for Greek culture. Their lifestyle is something I loved and something I try to bring back into my life in America. They taught me to stop and smell the gyros...or however the saying goes.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program?	None

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.
* Host Country Program Administration On-site administration of your program	Helen and Eleni are queens! The best study abroad advisors that took us on many fun trips and were always there when we needed them.
* Housing: How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?	Suite style dorms where you had one roommate and two other suite mates. Each room had a balcony and mine looked out to the vineyard and to Mount Olympus!
* Food:	A 3 because the dining hall food was not the best, but Greek food is the best you will EVER eat. Gyros alllll day.
* Social & Cultural Integration: How integrated did you feel with the local culture?	My semester there were only 8 Americans at the school and my roommate was Greek. Staying in the dorm with all of the other students at the school made the integration quick and easy. Taking the bus was the main way to get around, so that was another way to be integrated into the culture easily.
* Health Care: How well were health issues addressed during the program?	One of the study abroad students had to go to the hospital during our trip and the school provided us with a driver to take us there! It is easy to take the bus into the city to go to a pharmacy and you don't need a prescription.
* Safety:	I never felt unsafe in Thessaloniki. As long as you keep your purse over your shoulder and zipped you should really never have a problem. Everyone is nice and if they aren't nice they aren't dangerous. The campus is in a gated community where there are guards that make sure only people who are supposed to be on campus are on campus.
If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program?	Yes Truly the most unique experience.

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)	SO easy. Since the school provided all meals, eating out was a choice, but still very cheap. A gyro is around $3.50 and fills you up. Weekend trips are a different story, but once again all of that is a choice and can be made as minimal as necessesary
Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week?	$40 ish on a week I did not go out of town.
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants?	Pick cheaper cities to visit on the weekends! London was fun, but I spent way more than I would've liked. Budapest was so cheap and I had even more fun because I could do more fun things and not spend as much.

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component?	Yes
How much did the program encourage you to use the language? 0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language	They always encouraged us, but let me tell you...Greek is HARD.
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
What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure?	4 years of Spanish
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?	Greek students love to teach you Greek, so let them and listen. Try to learn the words to be polite like hello, thanks, please, then work on ordering!

Direct Enrollment/Exchange

* Did you study abroad through an exchange program or did you directly enroll in the foreign university?	Exchange

Other Program Information

* Where did you live? Select all that apply	Dorm
* Who did you live with? Select all that apply	Local Students Americans International Students
* Who did you take classes with? Select all that apply	Local Students Americans International Students
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?	Food People Lifestyle
* What could be improved?	Dining hall food
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program?	Sadly, although it is warmer than America, it will not be summer during the spring semester. They all wear winter coats until it is 80 degrees outside.

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 Blazer Craving 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.'

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:	Greek Cultural Experience & Greek Language
Course Department:
Instructor:
Instruction Language:
Comments:	A wonderful course that allowed us to go into town, go on tours, and get to experience the Greek culture with the guidance of our wonderful professor.
Credit Transfer Issues:

Course Name/Rating:	Sensory Analysis of Food
Course Department:	Food Science
Instructor:
Instruction Language:
Comments:	Field trips, lab sessions, and lectures. I learned a lot about sensory analysis and was also able to tour wineries and participate in olive oil tastings by our professor who was a trained professional in olive oil tasting.
Credit Transfer Issues: