Buenos Aires Study Abroad Past Review

By (RTF, The University of Texas at Austin) for

CIEE: Buenos Aires - Liberal Arts

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
Beyond my disappointment with the program and the homestay situation, the experience itself was invaluable. If my opportunity to live in a foreign country had to be via this program, so be it. Going abroad and adapting to a different lifestyle is life changing and would choose to do it all over again the same way if I had no other choice.

Personal Information

If you took classes at multiple universities, list those universities here: IUNA
How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 1 month - 6 months

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

The staff is encouraging, however I found the whole program to be overall codling.

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I did not like the homestay experience. I think it would have been easier to adjust and easier to make friends with Argentines had I had my own living situation.

* Food:

The food is good but gets to be repetitive after a while. "Healthy food" is not much of a trend there.

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

I made some good friends through the program but going to school with a bunch of Americans and seeing them on a daily basis makes it much harder to branch out and meet Argentine people.

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

* Safety:

If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? No

Finances

* 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)

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? Yes
If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition?

Language acquisition improvement?

I would use Spanish in everyday interactions

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Host Family
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Host Family

A Look Back

* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? I would say use a different program unless you want to be surrounded by a bunch of fratty American kids who went to a foreign country to go clubbing on a daily basis. I just chose it because it was affiliated with my school and I was too lazy to find another alternative to push through the UT bureaucracy.