Diverse interactions and distinct culture, but not the best for everyone. Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

If you are looking for an institution that is academically challenging and able to provide adequate resources, this program is not a good fit. The University of Nicosia was by far my easiest semester studying (this includes both college and high school), and I feel like it did not prepare me for my senior year whatsoever academically. Again, would not recommend to anyone who is looking for an educational study abroad experience.

On-site administration of your program

Any time a problem arose with either my apartment or courses, the administrators of Global Semesters were quick to respond and be of service. My main problems were with the beaurocracy of the University and the landlord as opposed to the program itself.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

Here were just a few of the issues my roommates and I had while living in our Nicosia apartment: The first week we did not have water pressure or a working water heater so our shower did not work; it took the landlord, who was very unpleasant, over a month to fix the leak in our washing machine; we would randomly have pigeons get stuck in the vent leading into our kitchen; wifi was bad and would randomly shut off; one of the doors in the apartment broke and locked my roommate's girlfriend into the room for half an hour before we could get it open. I am aware that apartment living comes with its fair share of problems, but this was excessive and counter to the way the living situation was advertised by the program.

The food in Nicosia was delicious; love me some meze!

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

I did not feel integrated into the local culture after my study abroad experience. The only way to really meet locals in a social setting was to go to clubs; this was a problem since many of my female friends did not appreciate the hyper-aggressive men that were present and nobody was really interested to talk with a foreign student anyways. The University offered no feedback when I asked about social clubs, and my friend who signed up for both the basketball team and intramurals was never contacted back. Unless you know Greek or are able to coincidentally make friends in class, it is pretty hard to get involved with the locals.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I never used the healthcare system myself, but of the many people I know who did argue that it was in no way reliable. Also, for people who have severe allergies, there was a lot of dust in the air our entire stay that would make my allergies act up quite frequently.

I never once felt unsafe in Nicosia no matter where I was. However, some of the women in my program definitely felt freaked out by the hyper-masculine culture in Cyprus. Catcalling, unwanted attention at clubs and rude sexual behaviors were very common stories I heard during the stay. It is also important to note how we are fairly certain my partner had her drink spiked at a school-sponsored event and felt uncomfortable to go out after.

Here is my overall guide to deciding on if this program is right for you: -Academics: Prepare to have no challenging courses whatsoever and a lack of adequate resources; significantly easier than my home university -Locals: Very hard to make friends with Cypriot locals and only place to really interact with a lot of locals in a social setting is clubs. If this is not your thing then I doubt you will make local friends. All of my close friends that I will keep in contact with are international. -Diversity: You will meet so many different people while being at the University of Nicosia. I had one class that had students from over 7 different countries and this was the norm. -Culture: pretty conservative culture, but locals can be friendly when you get to know them. Food was excellent! -Housing: your housing is not integrated with locals and you will most likely be surrounded by fellow Americans. Also, the apartments are not the best and you have to deal with less than friendly landlords any time a problem arises Stuff to do: I have never been more bored in my entire life. The area around the Campus has no bars or clubs to visit and the University doesn't have any legitimate clubs to join. The old city is cool, but you have to either take a taxi or bus to get there Travel: Cyprus acts as a bridge between Europe and the Middle East, so if you are interested in a study abroad that is heavy with travel then this country is a good fit. Costs about the same to fly to Isreal or Egypt as it does to see Greece or any Eastern European country. OVERALL = GOT MONEY AND WANNA TRAVEL? GOOD FIT. STUDENT ON A BUDGET? FIND SOMETHING ELSE: If you wanna see the world and have the money to do it, this program is not a bad choice in that it provides you with a great geographic location. However, for those who wish to have challenging (or even just medium standard) academics and an immersive cultural experience, I would not recommend.

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

DONT GET THE MEAL VOUCHER PLAN IF YOU ARE EXPERIENCED WITH COOKING! The ingredients at the nearby mall were fresh and cheap; my weekly groceries never exceeded more than 40 euros.

0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language

We had one class with a woman who taught us simple Greek terms, but all the Greek I learned was through my University course.

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