Difficult, Challenging, Terrifying, but Absolutely Amazing Past Review
By A student (Political Science, University of Tulsa) - abroad from 05/25/2015 to 07/17/2015 with
CIEE: Buenos Aires - Summer Language + Culture
I gained a much greater appreciation for human issues that exist across cultures and nations. I was also given a great dose of humility as a grew to understand and love Argentina and Argentine people and their history. I was shown that the way that the United States teaches history and understands things doesn't always give a fair representation of other parts of the world.
Personal Information
| 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. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
I thought some of the administrators and professors were very good, however there were others that I felt were pushing a personal political agenda onto our course subjects, which was very uncomfortable for me. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
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| * Food: |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
I never felt unsafe during my time in Buenos Aires. I felt that I was given the proper instructions on how to keep myself safe (which parts of the city were not safe for me to be in alone, how to use public transportation safely, which hours of the night to use taxis rather than the train system, etc.) |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
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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? | $100-$150 (this included some choices to go out to nicer meals. It was not necessary to spend this much money) |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
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How much did the program encourage you to use the language?
0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language |
I was in an immersion program. My program was entirely in Spanish including orientation and events outside of class. Our host families did not speak English. |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Intermediate |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Advanced |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | 3000 level |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? | |
| Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? | Speak in the language as much as possible - even with your English speaking friends. It helps so much to immerse yourself in the language and not constantly fall back on English. It's hard and feels awkward but you will learn more quickly and easily if you practice even when you don't have to. |
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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| About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? |
A Look Back
| * What did you like most about the program? |
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| * What could be improved? |
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| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | I wish I had had a clearer understanding of what the course material would be. |
