Summer Study Abroad in Greece with CYA

I studied with CYA in an immersive 2 week program through Heritage Greece. The CYA staff were so welcoming, supportive, and truly made my experience unforgettable. From lessons with Professor Eve to the cooking staff and field trip assistants, each person I encountered during my study abroad enhanced my time. I can not reccomend CYA enough! I hope to return again.

Studying abroad through CYA was an experience I will always be grateful for. Living in Athens allowed me to immerse myself in Greek culture, explore incredible historical sites, and connect what I learned in the classroom to the world around me. I also made amazing friendships and became more independent and confident. CYA gave me the opportunity to step outside my comfort zone, experience a new culture, and create memories that I will carry with me for years to come.

Studying abroad through CYA was an experience I will always be grateful for. Living in Athens allowed me to immerse myself in Greek culture, explore incredible historical sites, and connect what I learned in the classroom to the world around me. I also made amazing friendships and became more independent and confident. CYA gave me the opportunity to step outside my comfort zone, experience a new culture, and create memories that I will carry with me for years to come.

My summer study abroad with CYA was amazing. I learned so much in the class I took, and my professor was outstanding. Outside the classroom, the people and cultural experiences were very fun and engaging. CYA made my time in Greece unforgettable, and I'm so happy I did this program.

About the professor: Katia is wonderful. She was the most patient, understanding, and knowledgeable professor I've had. You'll learn so many fun facts with each lesson, and finish the class day feeling so enriched! I really hope she never stops teaching this class. She was so caring and made my time abroad better than I expected it to be. About the course: Don't let the syllabus scare you, it doesn't really match the experience you'll have, aside from the locations visited and the two assignments you'll complete. Your experience is what you make of it! I also recommend this course to any student willing to learn about medicine in antiquity. My class was mainly pre-med students, or aspiring Classicists like myself. We learned about (and visited) the many different archaeological sites that were significant to this subject matter (the Acropolis, the Sanctuary of Artemis at Brauron, and the Asklepieion at Kos, to name a few) along with what constituted "ancient healing". Lastly, its a lot of standing and walking, but insanely rewarding nonetheless. Museum access is completely free with the activation of your ICOMOS card, which is provided to you by CYA and is valid until December 31st of the year it was issued to you. If you love historic sites like me, this may be the highlight of your trip. In Kos, you will also taste lots of honey and briefly visit the greatly-anticipated Asklepieion! You also get housing and your flight ticket accommodated for, and free meals from CYA Monday through Friday! This was the highlight of my summer.

The summer of 2025 was the best one yet. I spent a month studying abroad in Greece. Imagine getting college credit while traveling around Greece. My program was the EmpowerED program based in Volos and my apartment was waterfront. The class size was small and we were all super close by the end of the month. A unique aspect of this program is that it is based at a Greek university and we had Greek students in our class. This gave me a unique look into Greek culture as I got to explore local places and Greek traditions. The course was set up so that there is a lot of free time to travel and explore. There are also trips incorporated into the class. I visited Greek islands, historical sites, and lots of beaches. I can not recommend this program enough. So if you are even thinking about studying abroad with College Year in Athens, go ahead and do it.

Greece is such a beautiful place to go, let alone study. Not only will you be captivated by the environment and all Greece has to offer, but you'll find yourself deeply immersed in the culture. I'm so glad that I chose CYA Summer for my abroad experience. The staff, chefs, instructors, and many others truly made Athens feel like a home away from home. Whether you know someone else in the program or not, you will have friends for life. For example, my first session, I knew no one, but in my second, I was rooming with my best friend from home. These were two VERY different experiences, both enjoyable in their own way. The first apartment I was in was a group of 6 girls, and we still talk today! Also, the best part of CYA is how much you get to travel and see some of the amazing things Greece has to offer. For example, here is a list of places I went over the span of two sessions: Athens, Paros, Crete, Hydra, Delos, Delphi, Mykonos, Santorini, Milos, Naxos, and MORE!

As my first time out of the country, I would say that I wouldn’t change it for the world! Everyone was so welcoming and friendly and I learned so much from my program. This program helped solidify my decision on graduate school. Overall, CYA made me grow personally and professionally!

I did the Summer Session I program from May-June 2025. I had never been out of the country before, let alone on my own. I was nervous, but the CYA program and my class made the experience absolutely amazing. My class, taught by professor Eve Geroulis, became incredibly close very quickly, and we took many field trips to do hands-on ethnographic research and be immersed in Greek culture. This program pushed me out of my comfort zone in the best way possible, and I will forever be grateful!

I learned so much about myself and about Greek culture while on this program. We had a lot of freedom to explore our own interests and get closer with our cohort, so I never felt bogged down with work and I was able to learn about many events with my own drive. I like that we had the independence to discover Greece with the built in support system of CYA. Both of my classes were very informative, transportation was always easy, and the schedule was perfect- not too overbearing, not too loose.

I participated in the EMPOWERED: Mental Health and Inclusion for Modern Learners summer program in Volos, Greece. This program was absolutely amazing. The course was four weeks long, and we stayed in rental apartments, which were very nice and had waterfront views. The course took place at the University of Thesally. The professors were very involved and tried to ensure that we had all the resources and information we needed to make the most of our time in Volos. We were able to take several trips as a class, ensuring we got to as much of Greece as possible. I also learned a lot. It was exciting to see the comparisons of different mental health initiatives across the globe. This course really allowed me to explore a new country, meet new people, and challenge myself to explore my identity. I recommend this course to anyone interested in pushing themselves to get out of their comfort zones and study in a foreign country.

I studied in Greece for 6 weeks in the summer of 2025. I took the course called The Strangeness of Ancient Greece with Professor Pitt. This course, along with the Professor, was some of the most intellectually stimulating and culturally significant class I’ve taken. The Professor did an amazing job teaching the class and keeping everyone engaged. Every class we had was on an archeological site where we would get an in depth tour of the area and told the historical significance. Although we only had 4 free days, we were given plenty of free time to explore and get to know our classmates and the city of Athens, or wherever our class had taken us for the day. I met so many new friends from all over the United States and we all got incredibly close during the program. I’m still in contact with some of them today! I couldn’t recommend this program more!

Studying with College Year in Athens was a beautiful opportunity. We were fully immersed in the culture as we stayed in apartments that were close to our class. The environment was always safe and welcoming. The staff was incredibly helpful and patient throughout all situations. Our professor was especially amazing. She had flexibility with her teaching. Whether that be pushing back class an hour so we could rest more or because we had a different interest in the topic, she was willing to make it work. She was the definition of a passionate professor. She was our first introduction to Greece and had briefed the class on places to visit. Additionally, I was able to expand my network by meeting other university students from across the United States. These connections helped me in establishing my post-graduate plans as I started to consider my peers' universities and their programs. I have grown in my education, and I'm excited to be bringing all my knowledge to my home university.

College Year in Athens was a wonderful experience! Faculty is willing to provide students with as much support as they may need while they transition to Greece from their home environment. My only complaint is that the arrival information PDF is not fully up to date and may contain some vague descriptions. But, that doesn't take away from the incredibly supportive nature of the CYA staff! Academics are also not stressful at all, and my professor made sure to be available as much as possible.

My study abroad experience was hands down the best adventure I’ve been on to this date. Before leaving I was scared of the unknown and leaving behind my family and friends, well pretty much everything I knew, I was stepping away from. Despite how nervous I was, I made life long friends through education and exploration. My professor provided so much guidance and support throughout the trip! All of the events were insightful and gave the trip an extra level of cultural emergence!

I loved my time in Greece with CYA. The summer classes all travel to other parts of Greece at some point in the course. My class went to Thessaloniki, Meteora, Delphi, and other stops along the way. All of these places were beautiful and filled with history. Additionally, there was time to travel on your own, so I was able to explore some of the Greek islands. The staff were amazing and super helpful. I loved my time in greece!

Studying abroad as part of the CYA Summer program was the most incredible experience I could have asked for. My course was incredibly enriching with such a knowledgeable teacher who facilitated activities and experiences based on my class's desire to learn and adventure. I confidently explored cities I did not even know existed and got to see some of the most incredible sites, museums, artifacts, and views that will forever be a part of me now. The Pangrati neighborhood that we stayed in in Athens had so much to offer on its own from cafes, dessert shops, and nightlife to incredible museums and monuments just minutes from our apartments. I cannot recommend this program enough and would go again in a heartbeat!

I am so glad I got the opportunity to study abroad with CYA this past summer. My course was Tasting Culture: Mediterranean and Nordic Cuisine. We learned all about food, the culture that surrounds it, the discourses associated with different foods, and about ethnographic versus Instagrammable pictures. By living in Athens, you are surrounded by such a rich history in the Greek architecture of the Acropolis and the best Mediterranean food you could imagine. We also took a four-day trip to Ikaria, but I could have stayed there for an entire month. It was beautiful and so enriching to see a less-traveled island and how that culture compares to the mainland. I would not trade my study abroad experience for the world and I constantly find myself going back and looking at old pictures for some instant serotonin.

My time in Athens through CYA was an experience of a lifetime. I delved deeper into my passions, explored islands, and made memories I will never forget! The admins were very understanding when my flight was delayed and even accommodated for my late arrival. One of the best aspects of CYA is the cultural connection students experience from living in apartments in Pangrati!

Studying abroad in Greece was a great experience! The class was informative, and Professor Afzal made the material very engaging. Visiting various historical sites where significant religious events took place provided valuable context and supported our understanding. The program effectively combined classroom instruction with fun and relevant field trips to places including the Acropolis, the monasteries in Meteora and Mount Olympus. If you are interested in taking a religion course abroad you should definitely take Professor Afzal!! If you are looking for courses on other topics there are lots of other courses in subjects like archeology, history, biology, and more. You should definitely go!