CYA (College Year in Athens)

I decided to study abroad in Greece relatively last minute, but in the end I left it all very content with my experience, with a strong desire to return. The CYA program staff are very communicative and helped with every step in the visa application process and other prep coming to the country. While there, they were also pretty accommodating about various arrangements/needs. It was definitely a challenge to take classes while living in a new city and traveling quite frequently on weekends. However, the courses I took were very interesting and more engaging than my home college classes due to the small class sizes and on-site classes. Learning about the Acropolis sitting atop the Acropolis was truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience. The three field trips built into the program (Delphi, Peloponnese, and Thessaloniki) were another great opportunity to site-see and learn on-site. Our neighborhood of Pangrati was an ideal location, with key tourism sites and shopping areas in very close walking distance. The local cafe became a second home and ideal study spot for most CYA students. I greatly enjoyed the endless opportunities to learn more about Greek culture and politics.

I had an amazing time on the CYA Summer program 2019! I participated in the Archaeology course about the Bronze Age Aegean. We spent a little over two weeks in Athens, a week in Santorini, and a week in Crete. During this time, we had lectures at museums, at sites, and in the CYA classrooms. The site visits were key to the educational experience--even if you were exhausted from the day (or night) before, you learned so much by being there and experiencing the site. There was plenty of free time, especially on Santorini and Crete, so in addition to learning a lot, you also had the chance to do typical touristy things in Greece too. The free time also helped you bond with the other people in your class! Since the classes were fairly small in general (mine was 16 students, I believe), it was easy to get to know everyone, but also form close bonds with new friends. The apartments also helped foster this, 4 people in an apartment with a communal space, shared kitchen, and bathroom.

The CYA Summer Session in Athens was by far the best experience of my life. I took the Geography of Faith class about Paul and Early Christianity in Greece and I learned A TON and got to see so much! Professor Afzal was super knowledgable and gave such amazing background on ancient Greece in addition to the religion/classics part of this course. Everyone was taking this class with different interests and backgrounds, so he did a great job at making this course interesting to everyone! My favorite part was getting to see SO much of Greece. Living in Athens, we got to really experience true Greek culture, get acclimated in a new "home", and got to conquer foreign public transportation. As part of our class, we got to go on an 8 day field trip all around northern Greece, which was absolutely incredible. We got to see so many different places that weren't super touristy and were absolutely BEAUTIFUL. I would've never even known they existed if not for that trip and this program! The weekends were perfect opportunities to visit islands and this whole experience was truly the trip of a lifetime.

CYA is a great choice if you want something more exciting and active than the usual classroom environment, while still learning from incredible professors and getting to travel.

Athens is a fun, safe city with so much to do and CYA has a perfect location in the city. The people in Athens are so nice and love talking to students. All the people I met in Greece, were so welcoming, which makes studying abroad there an easy shift coming from so far away. Athens is also in a great location for travel, which there is plenty of time for because classes are only Monday-Thursday. CYA also takes you on several week long field trips to places in Greece that would be hard to reach on your own. Getting to climb old fortresses, explore caves, or discover beautiful beaches always made learning about the places exciting.

The classes are taught by interesting, engaging, and easy to talk to professors who are very experienced and accomplished in their areas. The professors want students to succeed not only in their classes, but also in their careers. Most classes have field trips to see what you’re learning about in person and many professors to take students to conferences or introduce them to other professionals in their field. As an economics major with a focus on political science, I was able to attend several conferences and learn from/speak with incredible politicians, economists, and leaders from around the world, all because of CYA.

My time with CYA was fantastic. I learned so much in my course about Greek heritage and was able to travel all over Greece, including Crete, Rhodes, and Paros. Housing in Athens was centrally located, and the Acropolis was in walking distance. My professor was wonderful and supported me both in the classroom and outside of it. Upon arrival, I was given a detailed packet containing information about activities in the area. My favorite part of the program by far was the travel. The island of Crete was amazing, and Knossos was one of the coolest archeological sites that I have ever seen. I also had plenty of free time to go to the beaches on the islands during my time there. I was able to try a wide variety of Greek cuisine and went to several excellent tavernas that CYA staff recommended to me.