I loved living in Greece and doing a Spring Semester with CYA; I wish I could be there still! As an Ancient World Studies major, getting to experience the sites in person that I have read about/seen pictures of was so amazing. One of the classes I took was completely on-site, meaning we visited different parts of ancient Athens every class, which was great! I loved exploring Athens and connecting with Greek culture. I even took a marble carving class set up by CYA which was very cool. I recommend taking advantage of the activities, like marble carving, that CYA offers.

CYA also took us on many trips across Greece, so I got to see other parts of the country as well. There were optional field studies offered (I went on all three) that I totally recommend because you are led through many sites by professors and get to explore on your own. I learned a lot and visited many cool places!

There are so many great things to say about my stay in Greece, but I highly recommend studying there with CYA!

CYA Professors and staff are some of the kindest people you will ever meet. Part of the reason I fell in love with Greece was the care and guidance my professors gave when teaching us around the city, including on the acropolis, and recommending places to go and things to see. Athens itself was a very welcoming city and that helped the transition for the semester as well. CYA has four mandatory trips with the program and two optional for an extra fee. I only took the mandatory field studies and they were the highlights of the semester. The professors I traveled with were very knowledgable on each place we went and gave us the insight we needed to feel like a local.

I absolutely loved my study abroad experience in Greece with the CYA program. They offer such a wide variety of interesting classes that was so hard to choose from. The staff from teachers to the cafeteria workers are all so nice and welcoming. I enjoyed the travels that were included within the overall program itinerary and the individual classes, I learned something new every time. I most of all loved the pace because you could get so much done and still have time to relax or go exploring on your own.

Studying abroad in Athens was such an incredible experience. I grew so much as an individual personally, socially, and academically. I loved living in locally-owned apartment complexes within walking distance to CYA's campus because it really allowed students to participate in everyday experiences of Greek life. Athens has something new to discover on every street, and I wish for everyone to experience that.

CYA offers incredible opportunities to travel within Greece through the various field studies they offer. In addition to traveling with CYA, I highly recommend traveling Greece and Europe on your own time. Once you get the hang of budgeting, there's so much out there to see!

Lastly, the faculty at CYA does a great job at making hands-on learning experiences on the streets of Athens, at museums, and archeological sites their top priority. I felt so privileged to be learning of Ancient Greece while standing amongst its ruins.

There is an endless amount of good to say about the College Year in Athens program, but what I could highlight is how the experience defied all of my expectations of what studying abroad looks like. I would not change a single moment in Athens especially because the entire time I felt as if I was a part of a completely different world in the best way. Learning so much from CYA professors, going on organized trips with packed itineraries, and engaging with Greek culture through a variety of means, all felt like pieces to the puzzle of my own abroad experience. It may not be exactly what everyone else is doing, but the point of the program - and CYA made this adamant - was to form your own unique relationship with Greece and all it has to offer; in other words, what you took out of the experience was completely dependent on what you wanted. I am just so thankful that CYA gave me so many chances to create my own unforgettable memories.

I absolutely loved my semester in Athens. It was also one of the most stressful experiences of my life, with three upper level language courses and one heavy research course. I cannot recommend taking upper level language courses to anyone thinking about applying to graduate programs in the same semester. Being able to study Ancient Greece while in the shadow of the Akropolis is an experience unlike any other, and I highly recommend taking classes with Professors Kritsotakis or Pitt. They are some of the most caring and funny people, let alone professors, I have ever met.

This semester with College Year in Athens was something I’ll always be grateful for. Greece slowly became home in ways I never expected. It was the people I met, the routines I fell into, and the little everyday moments that made it feel real. I learned how to be more independent, which is something I can thank this program for a million times over for. CYA made it possible for me to truly live in Athens, not just study there, and I’m leaving with memories and friendships I’ll carry with me forever.

I would definitely recommend this program to anyone considering it. Greece is a wonderful country, with a variety of places to travel whether you like the beach or the mountains. The opportunity to learn Greek added a deeper connection to the community. People are extremely friendly in the neighborhood, and there are so many interesting places to explore.

The field study trips are what really make CYA stand out. An organized trip exploring iconic places in Greece as well as abroad is what should sell anyone on this program.

On top of that I made lifelong friendships along the way!