Argentina: A Unique Europe in South America Past Review
By Jonathan E (International Relations, Tufts University) for
CIEE: Buenos Aires - Liberal Arts
Studying abroad was worthwhile. I gained an understanding of global issues that I had never experienced before. I improved my Spanish, and I got to experience a whole culture that was very foreign to me. I could retreat into my enclave of American friends and establishments, but there were opportunities to venture beyond that. Studying abroad has made me think about whether or not I want to live abroad in the future.
Review Photos
Personal Information
| If you took classes at multiple universities, list those universities here: | Universidad de Buenos Aires (UBA), Pontifica Universidad Catolica Argentina (UCA), Facultad Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales (FLACSO) |
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 1 month - 6 months |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The workload is very much focused around the final exam, which you may not need to take if you receive high enough grades on the midterm. Argentine classes are mostly taught in blocks and professors tend to ramble on. They are very smart, but for an American who is used to some sort of class structure, the system can easily be frustrating. Still, it is an amazing experience to learn in a different culture. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
CIEE on-site administration in Buenos Aires is very good. Knowing other people that studied with other programs in Buenos Aires, I can pretty confidently say that CIEE maintains the most robust administration of all the programs there. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I was very satisfied with my housing and with my location. My host "mother" treated me very well. I felt very safe in my neighborhood as it was one of, if not the safest in Buenos Aires. |
| * Food: |
The food was nice when my host "mother" actually made it, but sometimes it was just a frozen "tarta de papas" in the microwave, which was not the best. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
The Patagonia region of Argentina is one of the most beautiful places on Earth. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Some may tell you that Buenos Aires is not safe. Buenos Aires is as unsafe as any other major city in the world. If you use common sense, protect your belongings when you are using public transit, don't walk around at night, and don't make yourself an obvious target, then it is a very safe place. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
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Finances
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* Money: How easily were you able to live on a student's budget?
(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost) |
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| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | The peso/dollar (~3.9/1) is great for Americans. A meal can range from 10 to 160 pesos ($2-$40), and $40 is going to buy you the nicest meal in the city with wine included. Argentina is very reasonable and a great place to go if you are on a budget. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | HSBC and CitiBank are the two banks in Buenos Aires that also exist in the US. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Advanced |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | Latin american literature |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
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Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
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* Who did you live with?
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* Who did you take classes with?
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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | This is the best program in Buenos Aires. Buenos Aires is very unique in that it is a very European city in the middle of Latin America. Still, it is a great place to study and there is always something to do. I had a great time, despite the times when I was homesick. |
