I loved this Program and would recommend it to anybody who desires a study abroad experience that is unique and worthwhile. The Program provides a great opportunity to live in and study in one of the world’s oldest and most interesting cities. Academically, this rigorous Program provides interesting courses that center on Greece. I took four courses that piqued my interest and challenged some preconceptions about the topics from previous experiences. There is support when you ask for it. When it comes to writing and study skills or language skills, it provides great support systems in their administration and academic departments. The Program provides three field studies that are required and three that are optional (I would recommend joining one if you are able, and these do cost extra.) The Program’s staff plans the travel very well, and it is important to keep on time as they are often action-packed and interesting. I would highly recommend this Program.

I could not have imagined having as wonderful an experience as I did at CYA. I would recommend this program to anyone as there is something for absolutely everyone.

Overall: For a broad overview, this program is packed with fun, amazing, engaging, and mind blowing experiences every single day. I look back and can't believe that I had this opportunity and was lucky enough to choose this program.

The country/city: Athens and Greece overall exceeded my already high expectations. The history is unbelievably rich, the food amazing, the locals friendly, the country is safe, and the opportunities to explore endless (beach, mountains, museums, restaurants, etc.)

CYA itself: CYA's professors are astounding and make sure that you're engaged while also allowing you time to live your life and not be too stressed over academics. I learned a ton with many field trips and interesting subject material and was never stressed. Additionally, the administration is there for you to help with any issues and check in on you while also allowing complete independence. They encourage being social as well and the social scene at CYA is unmatched. I made more friends at CYA's midsized (around 140 students) program than at my home school with many more students. This is because the culture of CYA is to live life to the fullest and fully engage with your surroundings, which you can't help but do.

Highlights: My favorite parts of the program were the week long program-wide field study trips. Basically, the whole program takes two weeks off of school together to travel to different parts of Greece and explore while being guided by the program. You get tons of free time while also being taken to amazing sites that would be difficult to travel to on your own. There are optional field studies too which I took part in. My mandatory field studies were Northern Greece and Peloponnese and the optional ones were Italy, Rhodes, and Crete. Additionally, traveling on your own is super easy with many cheap flights and ferries close by in Athens. Greece's location is unique so if you want to explore well-known or less-traveled places in Europe, it offers you both!

Finally, I felt more safe in Athens than in any city back home in the U.S. It is a lovely city, and CYA ensures that you appreciate it to its full potential. I cannot wait to return to Greece someday, but I will always look back with fondness on CYA and the my wonderful experience in Greece!

I really enjoyed my experience with CYA. The program is very organized and I felt very supported by staff throughout every step of my experience, from first submitting my application until the day I left Athens. I also really enjoyed the planned excursions and felt that I really got a deep and well-rounded view of Greece, getting to see places and enjoy experiencing that I would not have had access to if I took myself to Greece. I also appreciated that the course offerings were varied, meaning that there were courses for everyone, including me, a STEM major. Classes were taught by experienced and overqualified professors and were an appropriate workload that allowed me to learn a lot while still having time to enjoy living in Athens. The location of the program is great, allowing me to live in a less touristy area of the city while still being a 15-20 minute walk from amazing sites like the Acropolis and cute neighborhoods like Plaka. Overall, I felt that CYA was very organized and are very good at what they do. From amazing extracurricular offerings, like the marble carving class I took, to great optional trips, like my trip to hike Mt Olympus, CYA offers a lot of amazing experiences that help you create the perfect and most well-rounded semester abroad experience for you.

CYA emphasizes the integration of academic and cultural learning—many of my courses were held at the site of ancient ruins, cultural centers, and museums. This immersive environment lends itself to language acquisition and cultural understanding; it was truly a highlight of the program. CYA professors and staff were positive and engaging throughout the entire semester, as were the other students. Additionally, the field study component of CYA enabled me to gain exposure to the broader Greece region and appreciate the country’s diversity of natural beauty.

This semester in Athens offered to me through CYA was the opportunity of a lifetime. Everyone at CYA from the faculty, admin, and support staff to the students are all so wonderful and happy to have you around. They are always willing to share a smile and help you with anything you need. The academics could have an appropriate challenge at times, but this was never overwhelming. Faculty understand you are abroad and want you to experience beautiful Greece. Athens is lively and fun, full of things to do if you know where to look. Students live in Pangrati, which is a 15 minute walk from the center in Syntagma and a 7 minute walk from a metro station to get all around Athens. Overall, this was an experience that I would give anything to do all over again.

I'm so happy I studied abroad with CYA. I had no idea what to expect when I chose Greece, I had just wanted to go somewhere completely out of my comfort zone in a beautiful country. CYA took such good care of us that no matter what expectations I had, they would be met. The classes were small and extremely engaging with frequent class trips. There were also three mandatory field studies that were led by professors who were excited to teach us about the ancient sites we were visiting. I made amazing friends who I traveled around Europe with and was always able to find something to do at night. Everything was affordable so we were able to go out to eat multiple times a week and enjoy authentic Greek food. I learned so much about myself and what I'm capable of as well as expanded on what my academic interests are.

I think it was an overall amazing experience. I was able to learn a lot about myself, and I knew I was gonna, but I didn't realize I was going to learn this much. The classes I took were super interesting and fun, and I made some great friends that I was able to travel with over the weekends. I was immersed into Greek culture and I got to see so many beautiful places in Greece as well as around Europe. We would have free lunch, which is served from 12-3pm. It was good, but I would stress out because I had classes during those times so I'd only get 10 minutes to eat lunch. There was always things do around Greece and Europe. I'd recommend waiting to plan trips because you could meet people in the program you may like to travel with. It might also be a good idea to bring Euros from an American bank to Greece as that is cheaper than going to get Euros at a European bank (but you'll probably do it as some places only take cash). I also recommend using or getting a credit card where there are no foreign transaction fees because those fees will add up in the long run.

CYA provides an incredible educational experience that emphasizes study travel and experiential learning. Classes sessions are often held outside of the classroom in museums, at archaeological sites, and other relevant locations around Athens. Additionally, the incredible faculty lead extended field study trips throughout the semester, that allow students to experience more of Greece outside of Athens. Additionally, the program staff are very supportive of student's personal and academic wellbeing and growth. I wish I could have stayed another semester, but I hope to return to CYA in the future!