Program Reviews

Studying abroad through CYA was the best decision I ever made. I was able to meet so many people, whom I will be friends with for the rest of my life, and fall in love with a country and culture I knew nothing about aside from mythology and literature!

My professors were amazing and all of the staff I interacted with were super nice and helpful, and I couldn't recommend this program enough. The location is right in central Athens so there's plenty for you to do and ease of access to travel outside of the city--on your own or on the organized trips!

If you love to try new things or travel, Athens is the city to be in. I wish I didn't have to leave!

This was truly one of the most interesting and exciting programs I have ever been on. College Year in Athens is dedicated to teaching students in a way that gets them out of the classroom and into the world around them. This three week long winter program is a great way to familiarize oneself with the fundamentals of an archaeological excavation and meet people with similar interests. Work in the field is supplemented by short trips to other archaeological sites in the surrounding area, as well as to the Acropolis of Athens. Professor Karavas is one of the most knowledgeable professors in the field and is able to draw on his experiences at his own dig site to provide students with a world-class and one of a kind experience.

Studying with CYA impacted me in countless ways. I learned so much about the history and culture of Greece and the country quickly began to feel like home to me. The staff went above and beyond to make us feel safe and comfortable while also challenging us to learn new things and experience all Athens has to offer. In general, Greece is the most beautiful country I have ever seen and I think everyone needs to visit at least once. I cannot recommend College Year in Athens enough to anyone looking for a fun semester abroad.

I loved Athens! The study abroad program allowed me to meet some of the best people I now know and have given me some of the best memories. I loved the classes and being able to go to different sites for class. It was such a unique experience to be able to visit the historical sites that we talked about for the semester. It was amazing to be there in person and be able to tell people I visited the site, multiple times even! Being able to connect with the professors differently than I do in the US was refreshing. The professors at CYA were a lot of fun and engaging. They really cared about your academics while also making the classes fun and different compared to classes back home. The food in Greece is amazing as well, even if it just a gyro or souvlaki from across the street. I miss the food and the people I met. The night life was also a lot of fun and gave me a lot of things to do around the city.

I loved my study abroad program, from the second I landed in Athens until the second I left. CYA offered the perfect balance between academic challenge and the opportunity to explore and immerse myself in the culture in Athens. My favorite part of the academics at CYA was the emphasis they put on learning outside of the classroom. With CYA I was able to see a lot of regions of Greece. From Athens, to Crete, to the Peloponnese, to even Mount Olympus.
My apartment and the academic center were in the heart of Athens, just a 5 minute walk away from the Marble Stadium and 15 minutes away from the main square, Syntagma. Other amazing places such as Monastiraki and the Parthenon were within walking distance. Public transportation was reliable for the most part and got you everywhere you needed to be in an efficient and cost-effective manner.
CYA was very helpful in connecting us with really cool extracurriculars so we were able to get even more involved and take advantage of amazing opportunities while abroad. I was CYAs media lab intern and I got to write about my experience and document it via photos and videos as well for current and future students.
I loved my semester abroad, I loved my peers and my classes and professors. I highly encourage anyone looking for a life-changing adventure to consider CYA for studying abroad.

I approached the study abroad decision process with an open mind, but I did not already have the "perfect place for me" in mind. I chose Greece because I was enticed by the prospects of beautiful landscapes and rich history. Athens will certainly provide these qualities, but studying in Greece provides so much beyond that. CYA introduced us to places around the country I would have never thought to visit like quaint mountain villages to the north or history-filled coastal cities in the Peloponnese. The professors are absolutely amazing, extremely knowledgeable, and structured the classes to allow us to combine what were learning outside the classroom with the course content. The CYA apartments are all located close to great coffee shops, restaurants, the center of Athens, and a 25 min walk to the Acropolis. Greece and CYA provide all the tools to make your study abroad experience truly life-changing.

I went abroad to Athens with CYA this past fall (2021) and it was truly the most wonderful experience of my life. I am a sociology major and although archaeology and classics are their specialties, I was able to engage in sociological research and take classes with two very qualified sociology professors. I am also interested in going into law and the program was able to match me up with a firm to do an English speaking internship this coming summer. The apartments were great, clean, and close to CYA and the field studies were incredible opportunities. My favorite field study was to Meteora, which is a group of monasteries that perch on rocks at cloud level. The views are otherworldly. For such a small country, Greece has so much to offer from Mountains with snowy peaks, to deserts and beautiful seascapes. Whether you choose to stay in Greece and explore the cyclades islands or to travel outside the country at some point, you will never run out of new and exciting experiences. Athens is a friendly city full of life with many free activities such as ice skating or a burger festival. The friendships you make here will be lifelong ones and the memories you make you will cherish forever. My only piece of advice is to be careful about not falling too deeply in love with Athens because you may never want to come back!

Everything about my time at CYA was a complete dream. Going abroad was a nerve-racking experience, but CYA made it feel exciting and fulfilling from the get-go. The courses were fascinating and each one I took benefited directly from being in Athens, incorporating the museums and sites of the city into the course material. More than that, though, CYA helped me to have an unforgettable cultural experience in Greece. I was able to meet and speak to Athenian residents and learn about Greek culture from the inside. I felt truly immersed in Greek life, especially since the accommodations are right in the city. Even though I was there during the Pandemic, I wouldn't trade my experience for the world, and it was a time full of amazing people, sights, and stories. I can truly say that I got to experience Greece and that I am just as in love with it as I hoped.

Spending my Fall semester in Athens with College Year in Athens was the best decision for me. Even though I studied abroad during a pandemic, I was still able to travel all around mainland Greece and some islands. Living in Athens was an unbeatable experience. The housing was fantastic; my three roommates and I shared a spacious and clean apartment that was located in a young and fun neighborhood. We were within walking distance of the College Year in Athens academic buildings, good restaurants, bars, stores, and pharmacies. My classes were not only interesting but also gave me the opportunity to visit famous museums that housed art and archaeological finds from around the Mediterranean. Field study trips combined learning and traveling throughout Greece and we were able to explore Delphi, Crete, and the Peloponnese. Additionally, the faculty, staff, and fellow students were always excited to help, teach, and learn from one another. Overall, the program was a great mix of fun and education that let me explore a country I have always wanted to live in.

I came to CYA as a freshman. I had never even been to college, and I was sad to leave my family, and I was nervous to see what my time in Greece would hold. I was praying that the four months I would spend in Greece would fly by. Now I wish they had never ended. CYA and Greece are places that I will forever call home. The people I met, the experiences I had, the food that I ate, and the love that I shared will forever leave an imprint on my heart. Thank you, CYA staff and administration, for giving me the chance to live life in a new and exciting way.