Based on my experience with CYA, some of the benefits of spending a summer abroad are meeting new people from all over, exploring a new country and culture, and learning to navigate things on your own! I met so many nice people through this program, especially in my class. We would do excursions together and get food together as a class outside of class. I also loved exploring a new country and culture. It was so neat to walk around and have people speak to you in a different language and really immerse yourself. It was also scary, but really assuring to be able to do it on my own. I have no family in Greece, and I went into this program knowing no one, so I was very scared, but it was so nice to be able to see that I was able to do this on my own. This contributed to my personal and professional development by being able to show myself that I can do hard things. Academically, I was able to see everything I had talked about this year in my architectural history class. I loved having a professor here who knew all about the archeology of ancient Greece. It was so surreal.

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

Advice I’d have for prospective students who are interested in or planning to study abroad with CYA is to get out of your comfort zone and don’t be afraid to talk to everyone. Everybody there is looking to meet people, so they’re all super friendly. It’s kind of like freshman year of college all over again. Also Greeks are super friendly and are always happy to help.

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:

STEM major

Favorite food in Greece?

Souvlaki

Favorite class you took at CYA?

Strangeness of Ancient Greece

Favorite quote from abroad?

“Any comments, questions, concerns, or existential crises?”

What extracurricular activities were you involved with in Greece?

I painted pottery and did some excursions (day trips)