Program Reviews

Dublin was a very friendly environment to be in. The locals were always willing to talk and socialize. Griffith was within 20 minutes walking distance of the city centre and only 10 minutes away from some good clubs and entertainment. The college was mostly international students and I met people from all over the world, France, Germany etc. It was a great experience, the only challenge I really had was budgeting my money. Just make sure you keep track of your finances.

Athena offered an amazing greek styled experience from where we lived to where we ate. The best thing about this program is that learning is not just within the class room. The program takes you on weekend and day trips around the island and to neighboring islands. If you love the water then you have found the right place. Just a minute or two walk away from a beach with amazing beaches all around the island. We got to go on boat trips and we even went cliff diving in Santorini.

Roehampton is located just outside of the city of London, which gives students a feeling of actual natives while keeping you close enough to the city to adventure around and see all of the tourist hot spots. I joined the volleyball and ultimate frisbee teams on campus. This helped me to meet locals and other study abroad students. I'm still in contact with many of them. One tip is to become friends with someone who knows the area fairly well. I had so many awesome adventures with native Londoners because they knew all of the cool, off-the-beaten path places to go to. One down side was that I didn't get along with my flatmates (roommates) very well. They were loud party people and I am not.

Study abroad with Athena was one of the best decisions I have ever made. I was originally attracted to their booth during study abroad fair day on Xavier University's campus because of its bright colors and warm welcome. An Athena employee instantly greeted me when I first walked up, giving me enough information that I didn't feel overwhelmed, but our conversation was engaging leading me to check out their website. The manual was super easy to read and all the information was given so I didn't really have any questions. When the application process started, Athena's website was super easy to navigate and I had no problem getting in all the required forms. Actually being in Greece was an amazing experience. Athena had everything planned from a greeting at the airport to ferry tickets to our destination island of Paros. One of the best parts about Athena's Paros Island program is throughout the month tat you are in Greece you get to travel to many different islands such as Mykonos, Santorini, Anti-Paros, Delos, Naxos, etc. The teachers are passionate about what they do and that was shown everyday in class. I wouldn't change my study abroad experience for anything and I am so greateful for everything that Athena Study Abroad has done for me.

Studying abroad in London was the best decision I have ever made. This experience changed my life and I am so happy I did it. I miss being in Europe every single day and cannot wait to go back. I was only in class about 6 hours a week which gave me ample time to explore. Athena was so helpful every step of the way.

I choose HISA and Athena because of the unique experience it could give me. I didn't want a experience of going to a university, and taking standard classes that I could take back in my home university. I wanted to learn things that I could only learn in this country, and could be seen first hand.
Honestly, HISA was just an amazing experience! The professors are all extremely knowledgable in their field, fascinating, and truly care and love teaching. That school, for a semester, becomes your family. This program also really challenges who you are, what you believe, and pushes you to your potential
The town is fairly small, but the students are welcomed with open arms into the community as long as you make an effort. It is a very laid back little place. There's not a ton of variety as far as things to do on the island, but I just enjoyed the laid back life.
You are island hopping most weekends and get to see 5 other islands, plus Athens. Along with the spring break field trip. There is also optional weekend hikes on weekends you are not traveling.
Lastly, the greek culture is just something that everyone should experience. The warmth, and welcoming atmosphere is overwhelming, but eventually, you learn to love it. The food is just always top notch. Everything is fresh, from the meat, to the veggies.

I would also highly recommend Athena Study Abroad to anyone, in fact, I have to many of my friends. Everyone in this small company is truly devoted to helping you in any way possible. They love their job, and it shows. When I study abroad again, I plan to go through them again!

This was an unbelievable experience that I would recommend to anyone interested in studying abroad. There is nothing negative that I can say about the city or the program. The professor that I had was amazing. She is an archaeologist currently working on the Palatine Hill and was just a wealth of information.

Deciding to study abroad was a very hard decision for myself. None of my friends had studied abroad before and I had never been out of the country. After going through with Athena Study Abroad I have experienced the most culturally integrated experience ever! If I could do it all over again I absolutely would! I made great international friends and learned a lot about myself.

I had the time of my life while I was studying abroad in Florence. I would do it again in a heartbeat! The school I attended called Lorenzo de Medici (LDM) had teachers that were willing to help out with any questions I had and were very enthusiastic about their subject areas. LDM also has advisors that are very helpful if there are any types of problems that arise while you are abroad.

I only had classes three days a week, so I was able to travel around Europe almost every weekend. I got to go to Venice, Pisa, Rome, London, Paris, Prague, Athens, Capri, and so many other wonderful places.

I got to meet so many different people. If you can try and talk to the locals, I think you will get so much more from your experience. It will be so much more culturally rewarding. They usually have wonderful stories to share too!

One thing I wish I knew before I arrived at the school was that even though the student visa was free, there is a fee of around 160 euros for the visa.

Now that I am back in the United States, all I can do is think about all the wonderful places I saw and how much more there is still to see. I am just waiting for an opportunity to get back over to Europe.

My time in Paros Island, Greece can be described in one word: fun. The academic rigor of the classroom left much to creative interpretation with the ultimate responsibility and level of participation left to the individual. The staff was friendly, helpful, and above all really great to be around. I made lasting friendships among the other students in the program. Together in Greece we laughed, lived at the beach, and had a blast. We saw multiple Greek Isles on our adventurous field trips and took lots of pictures of everything from the gorgeous natural terrain to snippets of Greek cultural life. The food was fresh and reasonably affordable. Everything was within walking distance. And though foreign, and Greek to me, I loved every minute of it.