Valparaíso: La Joya del Pacífico Past Review
By Michael R (French And Spanish, Tulane University) for
CIEE: Valparaiso - Liberal Arts
It was a fantastic experience. I learned a lot about Chile and South America, I really improved my Spanish skills, and I can't wait to go back.
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. |
Our experience was very different from the usual because of the student strikes. Normally we would have been in classes with Chileans, but because of the strikes we were in classes with the regular university professors, but only with foreign students. Still, in spite of all the complications there, the professors were great, I had a fair amount of work but not an overwhelming amount, and in general it was a pretty positive experience. The grading system is somewhat different - from 1 to 7 - and American grade equivalencies kind of depend from program to program. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The program staff are awesome. They were always available and helpful and made the program run very smoothly. The program was about 30 students, which I feel is a good size for a program because it allows all the students to get to know each other. The trips and other activities organized by the program were great - we went to Santiago for a few days, and we took a trip to Pucón in the south of Chile, which was awesome. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
The program did an awesome job of choosing host families. My host family lived in a nice, quiet neighborhood. The food was excellent, and my host mom and sister were so nice. I'm still in contact with them and I hope to go back to visit them as soon as I can. |
| * Food: |
I ate very well! |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Various outdoor trips such as climbing La Campana were pretty cool, and our trip to Pucón was amazing. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
There was a fair amount of crime, I knew a number of people that had things stolen. You just have to be very careful with your belongings and aware of your surroundings. The program gave us a good tutorial on safety at the beginning. |
| 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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| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | There really weren't that many expenses. Just make sure to budget yourself carefully, plan ahead where you would like to travel and such. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Intermediate |
| Language acquisition improvement? |
We did speak a lot of English among ourselves. It would probably have been better in general if we had agreed from the beginning to only speak Spanish, but even still I felt that my Spanish vastly improved during my time there. |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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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 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? | This program is great for someone who wants to get an authentic Latin American experience while studying abroad. Viña and Valpo are twin cities that are unique, not too big, and full of life. |
