Abroad101: Study Abroad Reviews

An Awesome Month All Around Greece Past Review

By (Biology and French, St. Mary's College of Maryland) - abroad from 05/31/2014 to 06/24/2014 with

St. Mary's College of Maryland: Athens - Greece Study Tour: Athletes, Actors and Sages

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
I learned that the history of Ancient Greece has more implications on modern Greece than I ever would have thought. I learned that Greece is almost all covered in mountains, and that it is gorgeous! I learned that, for the most part, the people there are so nice and are after real relationships with their customers rather than just their customers' money.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 0-2 weeks

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

Was a perfect amount of academic rigor for being abroad...It was challenging enough but was easier than a normal semester course at SMCM, which gave the students and the professors more time to experience Greece and a little less time doing/grading homework.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

I'm not sure what this means...

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

All of the hotels were great!

* Food:

Greek food ROCKS! I'm a vegan and I was still in foodie heaven!

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

Greek people are far nicer than I could have even expected, and every single student on the study tour definitely saw this. The language barrier was usually there, but we still had a lot of awesome interactions with the Greeks that we met.

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

The professors were really supportive and helpful. One student twisted her ankle and the professors made sure that she rested, and took her to the hospital to get crutches and an ankle brace. Students on the study tour helped her to feel included (brought her dinner, helped her walk to coffee shops so we could read, etc), even though she couldn't go to a lot of the sites after getting the injury.

* Safety:

Greece tourist/ archaelogical sites have a lot less warning signs than those in America. It was kind of refreshing that everything isn't so spoon-fed to you there as it is in the U.S. Overall, everything was very safe as long as you use your common sense.

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

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)

I'm not sure how much I spent...Especially since it was in euros not dollars. I saved up for this trip a lot though, so I spent more than I normally would at home but was fine with it.

Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? I'm not sure, I'm sorry!
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? You can try to go to grocery stores and markets instead of restaurants to save money. But also restaurant food is amazing and you only have a month in Greece...so it's up to you.

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? No

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Hotel
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans
About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? 0

A Look Back

* What did you like most about the program?
  • Family Time (my Dad was the professor and my twin sister went too)
  • Different biome (it was cool to see the Meditteranean)
  • Different language (and even a different alphabet)
* What could be improved?
  • Don't go to Sparti (we didn't learn much there and were only there for a night)
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? Adventure as much as possible...when are you going to get to go to Greece again! Make the most of it! (I think that I did this but you can always have more experiences!)

Reasons For Studying Abroad

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The Avid Adventurer
The wardrobe you packed was better suited for a semester of camping than club hopping. Outdoorsy, you might forgo a crazy night out for an early all-day adventure. You'd rather take in the rich culture of an old town than the metropolis of a modern city, but for you getting off the grid is ideal.