Since my freshman year, I knew I wanted to study abroad during my time at Penn State. However, with three majors in the College of the Liberal Arts, I knew scheduling a semester abroad would be a challenge. Luckily, I heard about the Penn State Athens Program, a faculty-led program that takes students to Greece every spring. The program varies each year, but the course load usually includes classes in archaeology, history, and Greek language/culture. I decided to apply, and it was the best decision I ever made.
Because many aren’t familiar with the program, I thought I could give back by writing this blog post. Here are seven qualities that, in my mind, capture what is so special about the Athens Program.
1. Athens is an amazing city – Seriously, how many can say they lived in a city that is 7,000 years old? Imagine walking down the streets of Athens, passing bakeries and gyro shops, then suddenly stumbling upon ruins from 500 B.C.E. Just sitting there. In its lifetime, it may have seen the likes of Socrates and Alexander the Great. After four months in Greece, I never got over the magic of walking by these ruins.
On that note, Athens is not accurately portrayed in the media. Recently, it has been in the news for its protests in Syntagma Square. However, as many of us know, the media tends to sensationalize events. There were very few protests during our semester in Athens, and frankly my classmates and I didn’t even know about them until we saw them in the American media the next day. Plus, we were far enough away that the demonstrations never interfered with our daily lives. So, seriously, if the protests are holding you back from considering Athens, I strongly recommend that you talk with someone with firsthand experience in the city. They will tell you the same thing.
2. Field trips – Unlike many study abroad programs, the Athens program had field trips built into our class schedule. During our several day trips, some three-day weekends, and a five-day journey through the Peloponnesus, we visited Sparta, Olympia, Delphi, Meteora, Sounion, Nafplio–, and the list goes on. It was great to travel with my classmates and professors, who had already arranged transportation and hotel reservations through the work of the Athens Centre, which hosts the program. Plus, we had classes at the Acropolis, National Museum of Archaeology, in the Ancient Agora, the Museum of Islamic Art, and more. It was a pleasant change from 15 weeks in the classroom.
3. CAMS minor and Gen Ed credits – With the credits from a semester in Athens (plus the prerequisite class), you automatically qualify for a minor in Classics and Ancient Mediterranean Studies. Furthermore, several of the classes fulfill Gen. Ed. requirements, either GA or GH. Our program included majors in broadcast journalism, kinesiology, HDFS, and secondary education, among the numerous liberal arts majors.
4. Faculty-run programs are awesome – It’s often difficult to get close to professors at a school as large as Penn State, but that was never a problem with the Athens Program. I had the honor and privilege of traveling with Dr. Christopher Johnstone and his wife Patty, who acted as the heads of our family. We saw each other in class, ate at tavernas during field trips, and even had dinner at their place in Athens. Many students may be afraid that faculty “babysit” the students in these programs, but I can assure you, this could not be further from the truth. We were respected as mature young adults, and we set our own agendas.
5. The Athens Centre is adorable – The Athens Centre is a small, privately owned institution, which has hosted study-abroad programs for American college and universities since the late 1970s (PSU’s first program was in 1989). This is a nice change from a huge, state-owned University like Penn State. At the Athens Centre, you will see the same 5-8 staff members every day – and they are absolutely amazing. From helping us plan our spring break travels to taking us to the doctors when we were sick (my mother was grateful for the latter), I truly cannot say enough about the staff members. Plus, look it up — it has a quaint courtyard, free coffee for students, and hosts movie nights and lectures.
6. Greek Easter – In addition to spring break, we also had an extra week of vacation for Greek Easter. Indeed, the Greeks are serious about their Easter celebrations. I spent the weekend with my extended Greek relatives on Lesvos, while my classmates visited other islands – from Mykonos to Santorini. No matter where you go, witnessing Greek Easter is truly a once in a lifetime experience.
7. Scholarships are available – This is true for any study abroad program. I applied for enrichment funds from the College of the Liberal Arts (specifically the Paterno Fellows Program), my major departments (PHIL, CAS, and PL SC), Schreyer Honors College, and the Eugene Borza Award, which specifically goes to a student in the Athens Program. I was pleasantly surprised with the amount of aid from these sources. Every little bit counts, so don’t let finances stop you from the adventure of a lifetime.
In short, if you have the opportunity to study abroad, don’t think twice about it. Send in the application, go through the process, and don’t look back. Specifically, don’t overlook the Penn State Athens Program. Perhaps I am biased because all of my majors trace back to Classical Greece (philosophy, rhetoric, democracy, oh my!), but in my mind there is no better place for a Liberal Arts student to spend four months.