Students learn through first-hand experience, with sites, monuments, and works of art before their eyes, and the city of Athens surrounding them. An orientation program at the start of the semester helps students adjust to living in Greece. Faculty and staff are also available to help students at any time. The curriculum for the year-long and semester programs is organized into two tracks. To make full use of the city's resources, some courses are conducted wholly or partly in museums or on sites.
Some trips are for the entire student body, while others are for specific classes only.
All classes are taught in English, so no previous knowledge of Greek is required. THE LIFE Study abroad students live together in simply furnished apartments with basic cooking facilities. The apartments are about a twenty-minute walk from the Academic Center. During the academic year, a main meal is provided Monday through Saturday in the College Year in Athens dining room. College Year in Athens organizes a number of extracurricular activities for students, such as hiking trips, theatrical performances, Greek cooking and dancing, social events with Greek students, and organized sports.