CYA - Study in Greece (Summer Program)

I studied abroad with CYA this past summer, and I have no bad things to say about it. I took the Contemporary Art around the Greek Islands, a travel intensive course. The course material and travel itineraries were always very well prepared and scheduled. We were always given breakfast even when we were not at the main academic suite (usually when we were on one of the islands). We were given plenty of time to explore the cities on our own but still have opportunities to learn and practice course content.

My professor knew the material very well, was kind, and I could tell that she was a great representation of all CYA professors. They understood exactly how to motivate and support us.

The experience was immersive and I cannot wait to go back to Greece!

As a college athlete studying abroad for a semester is nearly impossible. CYA gave me the opportunity to study abroad for a month in the summer, and I will forever be grateful for this experience. You get to live like a local while studying abroad in Athens. You live in an apartment in Pangrati and are immersed in the culture. With the summer programs, you also get to island hop which makes your experience even better. You get to explore different parts of Greece each week. This made the experience one of a kind because every course explores different islands so it is fun to compare with everyone else and explain your own individual experiences with the program!

I took Maria Vidali's, Greek Island Architecture, Culture and Identity course in Summer 2022. It was truly the experience of a lifetime and left me with a depth of knowledge of Greek culture, lifelong friends, and memories I will cherish for the rest of my life. Over the span of four weeks, we traveled to four islands in the Aegean Sea, all with unique landscapes, people, food, and architecture. We conducted design labs on each island to better understand specific qualities of the built and natural environments. Outside of class time, I made some of my best friends that I still keep in touch with to this day. My class had around 16 students and we all became a family by the end of the trip. I can't say enough good things about my time abroad in Greece and I recommend CYA's programs to everyone I talk to!

Wow!!! CYA was one of the best experiences of my life! I met the most amazing people who I will have life long connections with. I also learned so much about Greek history and culture and really got to immerse myself into the program. CYA was a supportive host and with the exception of a few hiccups everything went smooth and I had an absolutely amazing summer with CYA. I am counting down the days until I can go back to Greece and see my CYA classmates again. If you are interested in studying abroad in Greece definitely consider CYA.

I decided to apply to this program without knowing much. Therefore, I didn’t know what to expect. However, thanks to the courses I took (REL351 and PSYC345) I was able to figure out what my most felt interests and passions are for a future career. Moreover, thanks to the experiences I have done and my travels I got to gain independence and self reliability. Nonetheless, living in a foreign country for two months allowed me to reflect on my home environment, noticing the cultural, linguistic, social, and political differences between the States and Greece, with a focus on social interactions and lifestyles. Highly recommend!

If you are an independent introvert as I am, you will not enjoy this program. I wish I had just saved my money and traveled alone. For example, when we got stuck waiting at the airport for hours when one of our group’s luggage got lost, we were stuck waiting and not allowed to take taxis back to the apartments by our selves. I had to take another class through my home institution in order to get financial aid to go to this program, on the trips we took, 4 days each, our days were so scheduled that I had hardly any time to work on my assignments for my other class. I received pushback when I asked to be able to skip an activity to do my work and was told I had to stick with the group.

I can't say enough good things about my time studying abroad through CYA. I had great communication with the program administration and felt safe the whole time. My class was a political science course, and getting to explore that while standing on ancient ruins where philosophers and citizens first implemented democracy in society was surreal. The apartments we got to stay in with our classmates were units in buildings that locals lived in--I loved the integration that provided. My professor was so warm and kind and she took us all over the city, incorporating immersion as part of the program content. I learned so much and loved the excursions to other islands and towns we got to explore, as well. I also had the best food of my entire life during the trip. I made friends with people in the program and everyone there was so welcoming. Athens is such a friendly, cool city and having the chance to study there with CYA is a memory I will look back on forever! I hope to make it back soon!

Studying abroad this past summer in Greece was the chance of a lifetime for me. Prior to this program, I had never traveled outside of the United States before, aside from Canada, and certainly never overseas. But I suddenly found myself immersed in a completely new world, so unlike my own, and this culturally enriching experience has forever changed my perspective. Throughout my time in Greece, I traveled across the entire country, from Athens in the southeast, to the southern Peloponnese, to the northeastern coast and back again, learning about and exploring places along the way I never even knew existed. I traveled by bus across the rocky mountains of the countryside, and by boat and plane over the cerulean waters of the Ionian and Aegean seas. I visited every archaeological site and museum housing the actual artifacts we discussed in class. To be able to see thousands of years of history with my own eyes was a truly humbling and surreal experience, one that cannot be accurately described. Never again will I have the opportunity to study abroad and live in a different country, to travel and explore new places for one simple reason: the desire to know and truly understand the world in which we live.