A Greek Vacation with a little school thrown in. Past Review
By A student (SUNY - College at Geneseo) - abroad from 02/04/2012 to 05/19/2012 with
Webster University: Athens - Odyssey in Athens
I can not express how mush I learned from the people there and the girls I lived with. I would not trade it for the world
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 1 month - 6 months |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Academically the school was not challenging nor exceptionally diverse in it's class selections, however the staff are very kind and enthusiastic. Some course are exceptional in there ability to expose you to the world around you while others you come out of having learned nnothing. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Dina was amazing along with her entire staff. Anything we needed was provided with a smile and any questions answered. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I was very unsure living with 7 other girls but for the most part found it enjoyable based on the way the apartment was laid out. The kitchen was small and difficult to work in with more than one other person and common area impossible for everyone to fit but the rooms were very nice. |
| * Food: |
Food was all made or bought by ourselves but the Greek food was fantastic in not all that fancy. IT was wonderful and and joy if your willing to try new things. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Living in the middle of the city was the best spot to be both a tourist and member of the city of Athens |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
We didn't have many issues |
| * Safety: |
Even with all the riots occurring Greek was very safe. We had no incidences of any violence to tourists or women. I felt very comfortable walking around at night. |
| 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 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost) |
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| * Was housing included in your program cost? | Yes |
| * Was food included in your program cost? | No |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | 100-200$ per week |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | If just buying food it is very easy to spend less than 100$ per week by simply going to the large central market in Athens for fresh groceries and buy only what the market doesn't have at a store. However if you plan to take trips, travel or go out to clubs or restaurants it will cost you a but more. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
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How much did the program encourage you to use the language?
0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language |
Everyone in Athens speaks some English so it is not necessary to learn Greek though main phrases are very helpful |
| 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 |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
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* Who did you take classes with?
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| 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? |
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| * What could be improved? |
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| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | Nothing I liked how blind i felt going in |
