CYA - Study in Greece (Summer Program)

To say my time with CYA this past summer was a formative experience would be an understatement. Spending a month traveling through Greece for the Bronze Age Archaeology class gave me a new perspective on my major that I know will be invaluable going forward, and I quickly fell in love with the country and the culture. It was also incredibly fun! Athens is now one of my favorite places in the world, and I would 100% tell anyone and everyone to take the chance to study there with CYA if possible.

I cannot recommend this course enough! The people were amazing and I learned so much. I did not know anything about excavating before this class and the professors were so great about helping and making it very manageable. I learned a lot about Greece and ancient Greek temples and on the weekends we could explore different islands and really do whatever we wanted. We would dig during the day and then go to the beach the rest of the day so if that sounds fun to you sign up! You will not regret it!

I took the Diversity, Difference in Regionality Among Greek States and Interconnections in Bronze Age Aegean classes during the summer of 2022. I learned a lot about classical Greece and Bronze Age Aegean. My professors were funny, approachable, and caring. I enjoyed the 2 week long road/ferry trips. I would recommend this program and would encourage students to apply for scholarships from their school. Greece is pretty cheap compared to other European countries. Most people speak English, so it is pretty easy to get around.

I participated in CYA's summer session 1 of 2022 and enrolled in a travel writing course that was a month long. We spent half that time in Athens and the other half in Poros, with a stop in Nafplio along the way. This course was absolutely fantastic, my writing improved so much and I was able to pick up a decent amount of modern Greek. Katerina was a lovely professor, extremely kind and passionate about the subject and Greece in general. I made great friends and got to know Greece on a much deeper level. I highly recommend CYA's study abroad programs, it was a great mix of independent travel and professional support.

Athens is the perfect place for studying; everywhere you go there are different museums and historical sites, but also lots of food, shops, and other activities to do. Greece is a beautiful place full of friendly and welcoming people- I was lucky to make friends with some of the locals and found them all to be quite open-minded and helpful. I think that there is something about learning on-site (or at least within the same country/city), that you cannot re-create back home in the classroom. Overall, CYA did a great job of providing support and guidance for us students, yet at the same time gave us the room to be independent and explore on our own. If you choose to do this program I really recommend taking the time to go to one of the smaller islands on your breaks, but also don't forget to take in all that Athens has to offer itself!

I grew up in a relatively sheltered environment surrounded by people who thought and looked a lot like me. The first 18 years of my life were spent in the comfort of my own likeness. However, spending the summer at CYA allowed me to broaden my understanding of the world through the people I have met and the stories I have heard. This has been an incredibly important experience for me and has allowed me to adjust much of my perception of how we all fit into the places we inhabit. From this powerful experience abroad, I have learned the importance of exploration, as well as the ability to understand other points of view. I allowed myself to explore and say yes to things you wouldn't typically consider doing. This is how I ended up finding the best views or the coolest museums or the most fascinating islands to visit. It was truly an incredible summer.

I learned so much through this program and was able to have such unique experiences. Each weekend I traveled somewhere different amongst the islands or neighboring cities. It was easy to navigate and very affordable. The staff also was incredible and super resourceful. They were willing to go above and beyond to supper me. I loved being in Greece and this program set me up really well for an excellent time. The adventure mixed with history makes Athens the perfect launching point for understanding and experiencing Greek culture.

For four weeks in Summer 2021, I was able to take a class on the Anthropology of Food in Greece, taught by Aimee Placas (who is amazing!). The course, and Greece in general was amazing. I learned so much about food, traditions, culture, etc - and ate my way through 7 Greek islands as well (yum!). I'm missing the experience and the people I met along the way already.

I highly recommend taking the ferries from Athens (Pireaus) to islands like Aegina, Naxos, Poros, Paros, etc. Ikaria is another favorite - but fly there!