I believe that everyone can enjoy the benefits of spending a semester abroad. It completely broadens your perspective on life, making you appreciate cultural differences while recognizing the similarities between two places you might have previously thought of as being extremely different. Living in a place for a prolonged period of time—not just taking a 2-week long vacation—allows you to become much more familiar with a city. I really feel like I have gotten to know Athens in a way that only study-abroad allowed me to. As a Classics major, getting to know the places I've been studying about for years was an incredible experience.

Studying abroad contributed greatly to my personal development. I struggle a lot with generalized anxiety; Athens as a city can be very overwhelming. Initially, I dealt with paranoia when in the city. But spending time in the city and slowly acclimating to it has made me realize that I am much more capable than I previously thought. I have learned that I am adaptable and able to handle new situations, regardless of my doubts. I am extremely grateful for my study abroad experience as I believe it made me a stronger person.

Academically, balancing the thrill of being in a completely new environment with the demands of CYA’s academic program is a life skill I will carry forever. If you can develop enough self-discipline to sit down and write an essay instead of going for a hike to the Acropolis, you can develop enough self-discipline to do anything in your academic career.

What advice do you have for prospective students who are interested in or planning to study abroad with CYA?

Try to do some research before you arrive; maybe not as much as I did, considering I spent many hours obsessively watching YouTube videos on Athens, but a bit of research doesn’t hurt and allows you to familiarize yourself with the city before you get here.

Before you leave, try not to overpack—you probably will end up buying souvenirs and clothes. Though you can buy many things here, there are certain types of things you might want to bring from America: specific hair/skincare, other health products, technology, etc. It will be colder than you think it is; bring enough long sleeves for a week and one semi-heavy winter jacket. Definitely bring a raincoat. Take some sentimental items you can pack in your carry-on and keep in your bedroom to remind you of home.

I would also advise prospective students to focus on spending time in Athens and Greece, and not other European countries. While it is easy to get swept up in the possibilities of traveling to other countries for relatively cheap, spending weekends in Athens helps you feel much more connected to everything around you. If you’d like to travel, I’d recommend other trips around Greece. I visited Thessaloniki on my own, and it was incredibly cool to see the second-largest city in Greece and compare it to Athens. You can always fly from America to London or Paris, but places like Thessaloniki or other Greek cities, or even the countries around Greece, are much more unique places to visit. The cities I saw in Greece helped contextualize my time in Athens and at CYA, much more than a weekend in Amsterdam would. (Not travelling every weekend will also save you thousands—I went to Vienna for five days over fall break and spent about 700 euro).

Overall, I wish I had known how fast it would pass me by. When you get here, you’re overwhelmed a bit by the prospect of spending 4 months in a foreign country. But now that I’m leaving in 9 days, I look back and feel it all happened incredibly quickly. Especially after fall break, the semester really goes much quicker than you initially think. (This is another reason to spend as much time in Athens as possible!)

please select any of the following that apply to you, and that you would be willing to share about your CYA experience with other students:

Classical Studies major, Finances, Greece-based traveler, Mental health

Briefly describe a cultural experience you had that was significant to you in any way.

The optional trip to Meteora had probably the most incredible sights I've ever seen in my life.

Favorite food in Greece?

Pork gyros

Favorite class you took at CYA?

Ancient Greek with Professor Kritsotakis