College Year in Athens (CYA)

College Year in Athens (CYA) website

Jacqueline Kotkiewicz CYA Athens Essence of Your Experience

Advisor/Important notes: 

  • Hybrid/Group Programs offer students the ability to learn alongside other global study students from US institutions at international study centers. Some hybrid/group programs allow students to enroll in a couple of courses at local universities, but a majority of these programs are taught by local faculty and professionals through an affiliated study abroad provider at their program’s academic center. These programs frequently offer courses that relate to the program location including language and culture classes, and they tend to focus less on STEM courses. On a vast majority of hybrid/group programs, students live with host families/homestays, providing them a great connection to the local culture.
  • Students are housed in apartments located near to the Olympic stadium and all apartments are located within a 10 minute walk to the CYA Academic Center. There are homestay placements available with local Greek families, but they are more limited so students should express their interest to CYA in the application process.
  • Great combination of the ancient and modern—most tourists only stay in the area around the Acropolis, but the suburbs of Athens are really neat. 
  • Outside of Athens, English is spoken less frequently, and it’s really helpful to have some familiarity with Greek (even if it’s a small amount). 
  • Students enjoy taking weekend trips to the Greek islands by ferries (ferry port is about 30-40 minutes from CYA) or by flying (airport is about 40-50 minutes from CYA by public transportation).
  • Public transportation in Athens is good and easy to use!

 

Who to contact: 

IMG_4166 - Molly Cordray

Program Highlights:

    • One of the cool things about Athens is that you are surrounded by many different types of landscapes! You have the center city, many historic archaeological sites, the beach, a large mountain range, and small communities all within 30-40 minutes of the CYA Academic Center.
    • Many CYA courses take you outside of the classroom and into both the historic and modern parts of Athens. A heavy emphasis is placed on experiential learning and learning beyond the classroom. A significant portion of the semester is also devoted to field study, designed to both supplement classroom material and give you a deeper understanding of Greece.
    • Fall Semester: 
      • Enjoy the countryside and take advantage of much quieter beaches and inexpensive travel opportunities within Greece in the off-peak season. September’s monthly temperature floats around 30C/86F, making it ideal for swimming and island hopping. One of the highlights of the season is our CYA field study on Crete, where you will get the chance to experience all aspects of the island’s rich history and culture.
      • In and around Athens, you can visit many of the open air movie theaters and take advantage of the lively outdoor cafe and dining culture well into October. The mild climate allows for many outdoor activities such as hiking old trails on the mainland and exploring the ancient city on foot. The trees start to change color in October, and the countryside takes on a life of its own as the olive and grape harvest season approaches offering many activities including olive and grape picking, or wine tasting.

  • Spring Semester:

    • The countryside is filled with the colors and sweet scents of blossoms. The entire population seems to be out celebrating and enjoying not only the fine weather but also all holidays occurring in spring. First, there are weeks of Carnival festivities in March, followed by Clean Monday, the Greek Orthodox Easter Holy Week, Greek Independence Day, and finally May Day, giving you the opportunity to experience first-hand some of the most important traditions of Greek culture.